The Wonder of it All
by DizzyDrea
Summary: We can't always help who we fall in love with. And sometimes, what we need most in life is the one thing we don't expect to find. That's when we find love. Or more accurately, that's when love finds us. And the wonder of it all is that they love you back.
1. Welcome Aboard

Title: The Wonder of It All  
>Author: DizzyDrea<br>Pairing: Daniel/Cassie. If this makes your stomach turn, stop reading now. You have been warned.  
>Summary: We can't always help who we fall in love with. And sometimes, what we need most in life is the one thing we don't expect to find. That's when we find love. Or more accurately, that's when love finds us. And the wonder of it all is that they love you back.<br>Rating: PG-13  
>Spoilers: Post-season ten (immediately following "Undending")<br>Author's Notes: Okay, folks, buckle up, 'cuz we're going down the rabbit hole. I'd never even given this idea a thought until my sister complained to me that there weren't any stories about Daniel and Cassie out there. I don't usually do requests, because I have to be totally in love with the idea to make it work, but this one just works for whatever reason, without my initial buy in. So here we go…oh, and by the way, this story assumes that Jack and Sam are seeing each other as implied in Season 9.  
>Disclaimer: Stargate and all its particulars is the property of MGM, Gekko, Double Secret, Acme Shark and a lot of other people who aren't me. I am doing this for fun and for practice. Mostly for fun.<p>

~o~

For my sister. Because she asked.

~o~

Daniel Jackson strolled down the hallway of the SGC, tapping a long, slender, wrapped package against his hand. Turning the corner, he tucked the package into his pants pocket and stepped into the doorway, leaning his shoulder against the doorjamb.

He glanced around the SG-9 Ready Room, taking in the sight. Much like SG-1, which had their own locker room, the SGC's diplomatic team had their own team space where they could plan and strategize on upcoming missions as well as debrief in private after the difficult ones. At the back of the room, a large white board hung from the wall in front of two rows of captain's chairs, used as a briefing and strategy area. Near the front of the room, closer to the door, desks were scattered about along with a large array of file cabinets containing various mission reports and cultural information on allies and enemies alike.

It was at one of these desks that the object of Daniel's errand was seated, engrossed in the contents of a folder now spread across the desk. Second Lieutenant Cassie Frasier had joined the SGC right out of the Air Force Academy, following her mother into the military. But unlike her mother, Cassie had chosen Mechanical Engineering as her major, and had been selected to apply for the SGC immediately after graduation. She had just that week completed her six week orientation course and was spending the time waiting for her new team to return from a mission by reviewing past mission reports to familiarize herself with the team and what they do.

SG-1 had welcomed her to the SGC on her first day of training, and they had each stopped by briefly to say hi on Wednesday when she'd reported for duty. Today was Friday, and though he knew she'd still be busy, Daniel had decided she might need a break.

He took a moment to look at her, bent over a folder, brow furrowed in concentration. She was wearing blue utilities and had her light brown hair pulled back in a ponytail. Though he saw her frequently outside the SGC, it took him a few moments to process that she belonged in that uniform, in this place. It was slightly strange, seeing her there, but she had earned this opportunity and her place on SG-9 by scoring high on the test exercises, and Daniel was very proud of her.

"Working hard or hardly working?" he called to her from his place by the door when he had finished ruminating.

Cassie's head popped up, surprise and then pleasure flitting across her face. "Daniel!" she exclaimed. "Working hard, of course."

"So what is it today?" he asked as he pushed off the doorjamb and crossed the room.

"The Vreen Friendship Ritual," she said, rolling her eyes. "I can't believe you sat through eight hours of that." She tipped her head, and then amended her statement. "Actually, you I can believe. It's Jack I have a hard time picturing sitting through this," she said, waving her hand at the report.

Daniel laughed. "Yeah, he wasn't too happy after that," he agreed, thinking back on the mini-tantrum he'd thrown while they had waited for the 'gate to dial. "Especially since he didn't find out until the end that they really had no technology they could offer us."

"I'll bet," Cassie rejoined. General Jack O'Neill had even less patience for that sort of pointless exercise than he'd had as a Colonel.

"But at least it wasn't the Vreen Mating Ritual. That takes three days," he said with an impish glint in his eye.

"I so don't want to know how you know that, Daniel," Cassie said with a laugh. "So, what's up?"

"I came by to give you this," Daniel said, producing the package from the pocket of his green utilities. He handed it over and watched Cassie's face light up.

"For me?" she asked, taking the package and turning it over in her hand.

Daniel nodded. "Open it," he said, jamming his hands into his pockets, a pleased smile on his face.

Cassie ripped the paper off and exclaimed "It's perfect!" Inside the wrapping was a new nameplate with her name and rank on it. She set it on her desk, facing out so everyone could see.

Jumping up, she ran around the desk and engulfed Daniel in a huge hug, nearly knocking him over in her enthusiasm. Her heartfelt "Thank you!" made Daniel's own heart do a little flip.

Stepping back, Daniel took in her flushed face and smiled. "I actually had an ulterior motive in coming down here," he told her. "I'm meeting the team for lunch today and I thought you might like to join us."

"Absolutely," she said, relief in her voice. If she had to read one more report, she thought her head might explode. It would be good to take a break and see some friendly faces.

"Then let's go," Daniel said, extending his hand to indicate she should precede him out the door.

They headed down the hallway towards the elevators, Cassie practically bouncing along beside him. "So, other than the Vreen, how are the reports coming?" he asked.

They arrived at the elevator and Daniel swiped his card through the reader to call the car to their floor.

"Very interesting, actually," Cassie said, excitement lighting her eyes. "Just the variety of cultures and traditions out there is amazing. They're all human, but they've been separated from Earth for so long that they've developed traditions and practices that are so different from those in Earth's history. I can't wait to get out there and start meeting these people."

As she spoke she became more animated. Her face lit up and her ponytail danced behind her. Daniel's first thought was that she looked like a little kid in grown-up's clothes. But as Daniel listened to her he became aware that, for all her youthful enthusiasm, she was a woman coming into her own, about to set off on her first great adventure. A lovely young woman whose enthusiasm only made her more attractive.

He wondered where that thought had come from as they stepped into the elevator and he pushed the button for the sixteenth floor, where the commissary was located. He'd known her nearly half her life and he'd always thought of her as a kid. But she wasn't a kid anymore, and he was suddenly becoming aware of that. Tamping down on that thought, he tuned back in to what she was saying.

"I just hope I get to go offworld soon," she finished. "I don't know how many more reports I can read through before my head explodes."

"I think you're going to find that all that excitement you're looking for is really just a brief break from a rather dull and ordinary job," he warned her.

"Oh, I don't know," she said as they stepped out of the elevator and made their way down the hall. "I think I'll take this kind of boredom over the ordinary excitement most of my classmates will have to deal with any day."

"Yeah, come talk to me in six months, when you've had a chance to be bored stiff at a Vreen Friendship Ritual. You'll change your mind," Daniel said, and winked at her.

They entered the commissary and proceeded through the line. When they had their food, Daniel led her to SG-1's table near the center of the room and they sat down across from each other to enjoy their meal. Just minutes later, Sam Carter came rushing over, dropping her tray next to Cassie's and plopping down into her chair.

"Sorry I'm late," she apologized. "I got stuck helping Dr. Lee on a project of his."

"We just got here," Daniel assured her.

"Hey kiddo," she said, turning to Cassie. "How's it going?"

Cassie smiled and reached over to give Sam a one-armed hug. "I'm going cross-eyed reading all those mission reports, but otherwise things are great."

Sam hugged Cassie back and then grabbed her napkin to start her lunch. "You'll get through them," she told her young friend. "Ten years is a lot to catch up on."

"Tell me about it," Cassie said, rolling her eyes.

"Cassandra Frasier," the deep voice of Teal'c intoned as he joined them at the table, his tray laden with food. "Welcome to the SGC."

"Hey Teal'c," Cassie returned, pleased that he could join them.

She smiled contentedly, glad to have the chance to spend some time with her family and friends. She couldn't imagine her first assignment being anywhere else but the SGC. Having been born offworld, it had been her dream to work here. She was grateful beyond words that she'd actually get a chance to give back to the people and the organization that had given her a home and a family when she'd lost hers all those years ago.

Lieutenant Colonel Cameron Mitchell joined the group then, dropping his tray on the table next to Sam. He greeted everyone at the table, giving Cassie a friendly smile before he tucked in to his lunch.

"Colonel," Cassie returned, careful to maintain military protocol since she didn't know him as well as the others.

Cam's head popped up at the salutation, and he smiled again. "Call me Cam," he winked at her. "We're all part of the same family, after all."

Cassie smiled at the acceptance she'd been granted before she returned to her meal.

"So where's Vala?" Sam wanted to know.

Cam sighed. "Vala is spending some quality time with General Landry," he informed her. "Something about one of her father's schemes that never quite got shut down."

"Oh," Sam said. That didn't sound good. She'd have to catch up with her later to find out what the damage was.

"Cassandra Frasier," Teal'c called. "How are you finding the SGC now that you are assigned here?"

"Right now it's a lot of reading reports," she told him. "When the rest of SG-9 gets back, we'll probably start planning our next mission. I'm hoping things get more interesting after that."

"Tread with caution in your desires," Teal'c said.

Cassie frowned, her glance flicking to Daniel. Seeing this, Daniel translated. "Be careful what you wish for," he said, pointing his fork at her for emphasis.

"Ah," Cassie's face lit up. She glanced at Teal'c and caught his small smile. He was having one over on them again, she guessed, and smiled back. "Well, Daniel's already warned me. I'd settle for just being able to go offworld sometime before I die."

The group laughed at her exasperation. "You'll get there," Sam said. "Just be patient. It took me three years before I got the chance to go, but it was worth the wait."

"I read every mission report from every mission SG-1 ever took before I reported, Cassie," Cam told her. "It helps, but nothing beats getting out there and seeing it first hand, I'll tell you that."

"Exactly," she said, feeling vindicated.

They talked on for some time while everyone finished their lunch. They kept talking long after everyone had finished, until Cassie declared that she needed to get back to reading mission reports so she wouldn't fall behind. The group split up then, with promises to get together again the following week for another team lunch. Cassie thought it wasn't at all a bad way to end the long week by spending her lunch with her friends. But she still had a few reports she wanted to get through, and so with that thought she took herself back to the SG-9 Ready Room to finish what she'd started.

...continued...


	2. Crushing

~o~

Cassie slipped into the locker room and made her way across to her locker, tugging the ponytail out of her hair as she went. Pulling up on the handle, she opened her locker and started rummaging around for the street clothes she'd worn to work that morning. It had been a long day reading mission reports and cultural analyses, until her vision had blurred and her head had begun aching. She'd decided then that it was time to call it a day.

Daniel had been right, she mused, a smile coming to her face at the thought of the brunette scientist as she pulled off her uniform and hung it in her locker. There were moments of extreme excitement, punctuated by even longer lulls in action that could break even the most dedicated and enthusiastic person. She was looking forward to putting the required reading away and actually getting into fieldwork. It's what she'd signed up for after all. She'd had enough schoolwork to last a lifetime. She'd been lucky beyond words that SG-9 had needed someone just as she was finishing at the Academy. Otherwise, she might have had to wait even longer.

Cassie pulled on her boots, and was just tying the laces on the last one when the door to the locker room burst open. In rushed a familiar face, flush with excitement that hadn't waned since the first day of training. First Lieutenant Jill Graves came bounding up to the lockers and grabbed the latch to her own locker just two down from Cassie's.

Flashing a grin, Jill looked over at her companion and gave an enthusiastic "Hey!"

Cassie smiled and shook her head. Jill Graves was full of energy and enthusiasm, and had a stubborn optimistic streak to match. They had gone through orientation together, though the other girl was two years older than Cassie. Just looking at her made her feel even more tired.

"Hey yourself," Cassie called out as she dropped her booted foot back to the floor. Reaching for her brush, she turned to her friend. "You know, it's disgusting how full of energy you can be at the end of the day."

Jill just laughed and winked at Cassie. "Can I help it if I'm not stuck reading reports?" Jill, a Marine, had been assigned to SG-22, and had spent the three days since finishing orientation doing training drills with her new team.

Cassie groaned. "Don't remind me," she said with exasperation. "And since SG-9 is stuck offworld, it looks like I'll be drowning in paperwork until I'm old and grey." Tugging at a particularly stubborn knot, she stomped her foot. "I wanna go have some fun!"

Jill just smiled and shook her head, her short brown hair dancing around her face. It was a familiar complaint, and one that they had all canvassed completely in the weeks since they'd reported for orientation.

"Hey," Jill said, turning to Cassie as she pulled her own shirt over her head, "was that SG-1 I saw you with at lunch today?"

"Yeah," Cassie said, tossing her brush back in her locker. She pulled her purse out and dropped it onto the bench, then turned to peer into the small mirror mounted to the inside of her locker door to check her make-up.

"Oh wow," Jill said, complete awe in her voice. "How'd you get so lucky?"

Cassie glanced at her friend's reflection in the mirror and cringed. She so often forgot that SG-1 were the rock stars of the SGC. To her they were simply family.

"Lieutenant Colonel Carter is my godmother," Cassie explained.

"Cool!" was the only reaction her pronouncement got, and she sighed in relief since it seemed Jill wouldn't make a big deal of it. That relief was short lived with Jill's next words. "And that Doctor Jackson! Tell me about him."

Cassie turned around and faced Jill, eyeing her for a second to see if she was serious. At the moment, she was sitting on the bench struggling into her shoes, but she glanced up, an expectant look on her face, and Cassie saw no help for it.

"He's really sweet," she started, hoping to stick to some safe generalizations.

"And smart, too," Jill put in. "I heard he can speak a whole bunch of languages."

Cassie nodded. "Twenty-five was the last count, I think."

"Woah," Jill said, wagging her hand in the air. "You couldn't pay me to study that much."

"I think Daniel's just a natural at it," Cassie observed. "He's also an archaeologist."

"Yeah," Jill said, "and a hot one, too! Have you seen his eyes? They're amazing!"

Cassie blushed to the roots of her hair because she had indeed noticed Daniel's eyes. They were an amazing shade of blue; and so expressive. Daniel could give whole dissertations with just his eyes.

Jill just stood there, watching the reactions chase across Cassie's face. Suddenly, it dawned on her. "You have a thing for him, don't you!"

Startled, Cassie shook her head vehemently. "No, I don't. He's family, Jill, that's all."

"Sure," Jill said, "just keep telling yourself that."

"Really, nothing to see here," Cassie tried to assure her friend.

"Me thinks she doth protest too much," Jill said into her locker, earning her a scowl.

Cassie growled in frustration and slammed her locker shut. Leaning her forehead on the cool metal, she sighed. "I can't have a rumor running around that I'm crushing on Daniel Jackson, Jill. Enough people think I got here due to family connections as it is, what with my mother being the former CMO."

Jill slammed her locker shut and turned to face Cassie. "So you don't deny it?"

Cassie spun around and leaned back against her locker, eyes closed and wishing the floor would just open up and swallow her. "If I say no, can we get out of here?"

Jill punched the air in triumph. "I wonder if any of the guys have noticed anything," she speculated, tapping her finger against her chin.

"Oh no, not them," Cassie shook her head forcefully. "You are not to say anything to them."

Jill smiled and winked at her friend, letting her know the teasing was all in good fun. "Are you coming?"

Cassie gave a rueful smile in return. "O'Malley's?" At Jill's nod, she continued. "Yeah, I planned to." The recruits in her orientation class had grown close during their six weeks of indoctrination, even though their ages ranged all over the place. They had planned to celebrate the end of training with a night out at O'Malley's, an event Cassie had been looking forward to all week.

"Good, then you can try to bribe me by buying the first round," Jill said, hooking her arm through Cassie's, guiding her out of the locker room.

Cassie sighed in relief and grabbed her purse off the bench. She knew Jill enough to know she wouldn't spread any rumors that might prove damaging to anyone. But still, the idea of anyone knowing that she had a thing for Daniel was not good. If Jill could see it, who else could? She'd have to be more careful in the future.

...continued...


	3. The Dawn Patrol

~o~

Tuesday morning found Cassie in the commissary, sipping a cup of coffee as she reviewed yet another mission report. Her team had finally come home over the weekend, and they had spent the better part of Monday getting acquainted and regaling her with stories from their just-completed mission. She was looking forward to joining them in the Ready Room this morning to get started on planning the next one.

"Not more Vreen rituals, I hope?" came a rich voice from over her head.

A smile spread over her face as she recognized the voice. "No, this time it's Cimmeria," she said.

"Ah, one of the Asgard protected planets," Daniel said as he came around the table to sit across from her. He'd noticed her sitting alone in the middle of the room immediately on arriving for his usual early morning pit stop. He wondered if she realized she was sitting at SG-1's table. More than likely, she'd gravitated to that table out of long habit, since she used to visit the SGC with her mother years ago.

"Yeah," Cassie confirmed. "Our next mission is going to be to Cimmeria, so I figured I should familiarize myself with your previous visits."

"I see," Daniel said. He sipped at his coffee before asking, "So, how was your weekend?"

Cassie smiled again. "It was good. I went shopping with Sam and Vala on Saturday. She's a little odd—Vala I mean—isn't she?" she asked.

"Yeah, odd's a good way to describe her," Daniel agreed, remembering with consternation all the trouble that she'd gotten them into since her arrival.

"And Sunday I went on a long bike ride."

"No mission reports, huh?" he asked.

"No mission reports," she confirmed. "I suppose you spent your weekend working," she guessed.

Daniel ducked his head before looking back up, a rueful grin on his face. "Okay, now I feel like I have no life. I was home on Saturday," he tried to defend himself.

"Well, that's something," she said, "though I suspect you brought some reading material home with you."

Daniel didn't answer, just gave an abashed grin, confirming her suspicion. He'd gone home late on Friday to check his mail, and had spent Saturday going over some translations. There were some materials he'd ended up needing, so he'd gone back in on Sunday and hadn't left yet. He really did need to get a life.

"Maybe next time I go out I'll call you," Cassie offered.

Daniel gave a shy smile. "I'd like that," he said sincerely before returning to his coffee cup. Needing a distraction from the rush of pleasure he felt at her offer, he decided to return their conversation to safer territory. "So, Cimmeria," he said. "What are you gonna do there?"

"We're looking at adapting their Goa'uld detector for use against the Ori Priors," she explained, though she suspected he already knew. "General Landry wanted SG-9 to make contact and send a team inside."

Daniel nodded in agreement. It had sounded like a good idea when Sam had proposed it, but coordinating a scanning device with a transporter of some kind and doing it faster than a Prior could react would be a challenge. They had the schematics in their Asgard database, but if they could get a look at the technology in place it would be a huge advantage.

"You do realize that the device will probably transport you into the caves because of the Naquadah in your blood," he pointed out.

"Yeah, Sam thought of that," Cassie acknowledged. "If it doesn't take me we won't have to worry about it, but if it does the rest of my team is going to have to get permission while I have a look around and get a head start on the scans."

"Sounds like you have it all figured out," he said, pride in his voice.

"Oh this wasn't my idea," Cassie returned, frowning slightly. "But Lieutenant Colonel Trask figured it would be a good mission for my first time offworld."

"He's right," Daniel reminded her. "Not about the 'first time offworld' part, but about the easy first time mission. On my first mission we were captured and almost killed."

"Yeah, well, I don't plan to be captured or killed before my career has even begun," she stated emphatically.

"Good for you," he said, pleased at her confidence.

Cassie glanced down at her watch and noticed the time. "I'd better get going," she told Daniel, pulling her paperwork together. "My team got back over the weekend, so now that the mission briefing is over and their reports are filed we want to get a jump on planning this mission."

"Good luck," he told her. "Though I'm sure you'll be just fine."

"Thanks, Daniel," she said with a wink, "but I've been ready for this for a long time."

With that she rose and headed out the door, mission reports in one hand and her coffee in the other. Daniel sat a bit longer, sipping at his coffee and pondering the squeezing in his chest when she'd winked at him. He shrugged, not sure what was going on, but not too eager to figure it out either. Rising, he refilled his coffee cup and headed back towards his office.

...continued...


	4. Homecoming

~o~

"Hey, Daniel," Sam called as she entered his office.

He was seated at the workbench in the center of the room, tapping a pen against his cheek, appearing for all the world like a man with a problem. Papers and open books were scattered all over the work surface in a mass of disorganization that told Sam he'd been deep into whatever he was working on and hadn't realized what a mess he'd made.

"Hey, Sam," Daniel said, rather distractedly. "Do you know anything about the Dragon's Triangle?"

"Is it anything like the Bermuda Triangle?" she asked.

"I don't know," he replied, sounding puzzled. "I found a reference to it in one of the Ancient texts I've been translating, but I have no idea what it's referring to."

Sam shrugged when Daniel looked up at her. "Not really my forte, Daniel," she reminded him.

"You mean we've found something you're not good at?" he teased, winking at her.

Sam shook her head and grinned at the old joke. Changing gears, she asked the question she'd come for. "Have you seen Vala?"

Daniel shook his head. "She went with Mitchell and Teal'c to meet with Bray'tac and some of the Free Jaffa leaders," he told her.

"How'd Cam get talked into that one?"

It was Daniel's turn to shrug. "I guess General Landry got tired of her being underfoot."

"Which begs the question, who'd Cam piss off this week?" Sam asked knowingly.

"Well, it wasn't Carolyn," he put in. "Last time I saw them, they were pretty cozy." Daniel glanced down at his watch and startled when he saw what time it was. "SG-9 is due to return in a few minutes," he told Sam. "Want to go welcome them back?"

"Sure," Sam said, turning to head for the door. Daniel fell into step beside her and they made their way down the hall to the elevator.

"Hey, what did you need Vala for?" Daniel asked while they waited for the elevator.

"Oh, she mentioned wanting to see some movie, so I told her we'd go one night this week," Sam explained. "It's Thursday already, so I figured we should go before the week ends."

The elevator arrived and they stepped on, Daniel selecting the button for the lowest level. "I guess she's going a little stir crazy," he offered.

"Yeah," Sam agreed. "Teal'c was always so stoic about having to stay on base. Vala's not afraid to bend your ear about it."

Daniel smiled. "Oh, she's been telling everyone she talks to, alright. I rescued Siler from her yesterday."

Sam winced. "Ouch. Poor guy."

"Yeah," Daniel said as he followed Sam out of the elevator. "I tried telling her to tone it down. Didn't help."

"I'll talk to her when they get back," Sam assured him. She was hoping that a few hours off base every few days would help, but so far it wasn't working. She chuckled at the thought that this must have been what Vala was like stuck aboard Odyssey for fifty years. Man was she glad she didn't remember any of it.

They walked up the short flight of stairs into the control room, landing behind Sergeant Harriman just as the Stargate began to spin. They heard the kawoosh erupt behind the iris, and then the room was filled with a shimmering blue glow.

"What have we got, Sergeant?" General Landry called as he made his way down the stairs, having been alerted to the incoming wormhole.

"Incoming signal, sir," Harriman replied. "It's SG-9."

"Open the iris," Landry ordered as he came to a stop beside Daniel.

"Yes, sir," Harriman acknowledged, placing his had over the scanner that would confirm his identity and open the iris.

They watched as it slid open to reveal the event horizon. General Landry turned and made his way down the stairs into the gate room, Daniel and Sam following on his heels. They all stood at the bottom of the ramp as SG-9 crossed the event horizon and strode down the ramp towards the General.

As they handed their gear to the waiting airmen, Landry addressed Colonel Trask. "Any problems?"

"No, sir," Trask replied. "Gairwyn was happy to help. Lieutenant Frasier got beamed out, just like we expected. She had the presence of mind to grab Captain Danvers before she was beamed away."

Landry chuckled. She'd done well, making sure someone went with her to watch her back, even if she'd failed to inform her teammate of her intentions ahead of time. "I'm sure Danvers was really happy about that," he said, glancing over at the slightly disgruntled Captain, who appeared to be covered in dust. Thankfully, he didn't appear to be the only one.

"I was able to get some fairly detailed scans of the machine," Cassie stepped up to add, pulling her scanner and camcorder out of her pack.

"Great," Sam said, stepping forward to take them from Cassie, beaming her approval at the younger officer. "I'll get to work on these right away."

"Alright, we'll debrief at 0800 tomorrow morning," the General informed them. "Get yourselves down to the infirmary, and then you're dismissed."

With that, General Landry turned and headed back to his office while Sam went off in the direction of her lab. As the rest of SG-9 headed off to the infirmary, Daniel lingered behind with Cassie.

"C'mon, I'll walk you to the infirmary," he said as he turned them towards the hall and started heading for the elevator. "So, how was your first mission?"

Cassie's eyes lit up. "It was great! A little dusty, but great," she said, once again practically bounding down the corridor. She was so full of excitement, even after three days offworld and covered in a layer of dust, that Daniel had to laugh.

"Yeah, those caves aren't much to look at," he said, remembering his first and only trip up there.

"And the skeletons," Cassie said, giving an involuntary shudder as she remembered walking past way too many skeletons on their way out of Thor's Hammer.

They rode the elevator up to the twenty-third floor, Daniel marveling all the while at how bright and cheerful she still looked. "Well, you made it," Daniel reminded her as they stepped off and made their way down the corridor.

"Yeah," Cassie replied, a kind of dreamy look on her face.

As they neared the infirmary, Daniel turned to her and grabbed her arm to pull her to a stop. "Listen, are you hungry?"

"I haven't eaten since this morning," she told him. "I could probably eat a horse."

Daniel chuckled again. "Tell you what," he began. "When you've finished up here, meet me at my office. I'll take you out to dinner to celebrate your first successful mission."

"You're on," Cassie told him, giving him a huge smile before pushing through the door to the infirmary.

Daniel smiled and shook his head. He hadn't seen this much excitement since Sam first came to the project. Back then, she didn't need caffeine to keep her going; she lived on sheer excitement for the first year. He headed off to his office thinking how nice it was to see someone excited about what was out there for a change.

~o~

Cassie rounded the corner and stopped just inside the door to Daniel's office, taking in the scene before her. Daniel stood at his workbench, dressed casually in jeans and a white dress shirt under his worn leather jacket. His elbow was perched on a stack of books with his chin resting in his hand, brow furrowed in thought, completely oblivious. She figured nothing short of an Ori attack would rouse him from his thoughts. Stepping across the room to stand beside him, hands clasped behind her back, she turned the tables on him, peering over his shoulder at the paper he was concentrating on.

"Whatcha doing?" she asked in a low voice, as if they were sharing a secret.

Daniel, who hadn't even noticed her approaching, gave a start before realizing who it was. A smile graced his face as he took in Cassie's appearance, and she was glad she'd bothered to dress up when she'd come in three days ago for the mission. She was wearing a dark pair of jeans, with her favorite red blouse under a fitted blazer. Her boots had a slight heal which brought her closer to eye level with Daniel. She'd even taken the time to wash her hair after her visit to the infirmary so that it now shone brightly. His admiring gaze made her flush slightly, and she silently berated herself for feeling like a school girl with a crush. She was an adult, dammit, and she wasn't going to feel guilty for showing an interest in an attractive, albeit older, man.

"Hey, Cassie, I didn't hear you come in," Daniel stuttered a bit. He'd been so focused on his research that he had well and truly lost track of time, something he constantly berated Sam about, but gave himself a pass on. The irony was not lost on him.

"I noticed," Cassie replied with a smile. "So what's got you so interested?" she asked, glancing back at the scattered papers and books on his counter.

"I found a reference in one of my translations that I'm trying to track down," he explained, following her eyes back to the paper he was reading before she'd arrived.

"Not having any luck?" she asked.

"I've found some information but not a lot, and most of it is in Japanese. Not one of my strongest languages," he said, frustration at his predicament slipping out in his tone. He shrugged and looked back at her with a smile. "Ready to go?"

Cassie nodded and smiled back. "Where are we going?" she asked as she let him turn her towards the door.

Daniel flicked the light switch to kill the lights and swiped his key card through the reader to close the door on his lab before turning back to Cassie. "How does Italian sound?"

"Sounds good to me," she said, following him down the hall towards the elevator.

They spilled out of the elevator at the surface and signed out for the day. As they headed into the parking lot, Daniel turned to Cassie. "Why don't you follow me?" he suggested. "That way you can just drive straight home from the restaurant."

"Okay," she agreed and made for her car.

Daniel jumped into his own and practically shot out of the parking lot, Cassie hot on his tail. He drove down the mountain and into the Springs, enjoying the feel of the tires on the road. Having driven the road for so many years, his comfort in the curves allowed him to practically race down the mountain and it was all Cassie could do to keep up. They neared town, and she began to recognize the area as Daniel slowed and pulled into a driveway not far from his apartment building. She parked her car next to his and followed him to the door.

"Hey, Mario Andretti," she called to him as she approached. "Maybe next time you could actually let me follow you?"

"Sorry," Daniel grinned, abashed. "I guess I like driving that road a little too much."

"I'll say," she replied, passing through the door he held open for her. She entered the room and stopped to admire the atmosphere and wait to be seated.

It was a small room, with a dozen or so tables scattered around the center of the room and booths lining the walls. The tables were covered in red checked cloths, with small vases of fresh flowers in the center of each. Unadorned silverware and plain white dishes completed the setting. There were a few people, mostly couples and families, seated at various tables scattered around the room, but it didn't feel crowded.

It appeared Daniel had been there before, because he simply headed for a table near the center of the room and pulled out the chair for her to sit down. He took a seat across from her and smiled, shedding his jacket as she did the same. "Welcome to Lucca's," he said, faint pride in his voice.

"I like it," Cassie assured him, looking around the room with interest. She hadn't noticed before, but all over the walls there were pictures, all black and white, some with just one or two people, some with more. "Who's in the pictures?" she asked.

"This is my family," came a voice from behind her. Cassie turned and saw the woman attached to the voice. She was short and round, with dark hair shot through with white, and a round, open face covered in a smile. "Some from when I was a girl in Napoli, some after I come to America. I like to have my memories with me," she finished explaining with a wink and a smile.

"Hello, Antonia," Daniel greeted her. "This is Cassandra Frasier," he made the introductions. "Cassie, meet Antonia Lucca."

Cassie smiled as the woman came around to stand between them at the table, setting down two glasses of water as she went. "It's nice to meet you, Antonia."

Antonia smiled at Cassie and touched her shoulder in greeting. "I am pleased to meet you as well. And how is My Daniel?" she turned and graced him with a huge smile.

"I'm good," he told her, blushing at her affectionate greeting.

"It has been so long since you have visited," she admonished him with a wag of her finger. "I think you have forgotten us."

Daniel winced. Things had been so busy at work that he hadn't been home much. But for Antonia that wouldn't be an excuse. Family was family, and you dropped everything to be with them. And somehow Daniel had managed to find himself included in Antonia's family. "Le mia scuse, Antonia," he offered his apologies in Italian.

"Nessuna materia," she told him with a wink, confirming that he was forgiven. "You are here now. I bring you something special, yes?"

Daniel smiled and looked over at Cassie. "Feeling adventurous?" he asked her.

Cassie smiled back and then looked up at Antonia. "Bring it on," she told the other woman.

Antonia winked at her and then turned back to Daniel. Reaching out, she caressed his cheek like she would a beloved child. "I be right back," she told him before bustling off to the kitchen.

Daniel blushed to the roots of his hair, an event Cassie found terribly amusing. Daniel caught her mirthful look and blushed even deeper. "She likes me," he said, pointing out the obvious.

"I can see that," Cassie nodded, barely suppressing her laughter.

"It's nice, you know," he observed, "being somebody's Daniel again."

Cassie's mind immediately cast back to conversations she'd had with her mother and Sam. "Didn't Sha're call you that?" she asked without thinking.

Daniel's face collapsed as the memory of his long-dead wife surfaced. "Yeah," he said as he sipped from his water glass.

"I'm sorry, Daniel," Cassie apologized profusely, berating herself for bringing up such a sore subject. "I didn't mean to—"

"It's okay," he cut her off. "We've never really talked about this, have we?"

Cassie shook her head. "I wasn't even here yet when it all happened, and after I moved in with Mom, no one seemed to want to much."

Daniel heaved a sigh and looked past her to the back of the restaurant, not really seeing anything but the memories his mind conjured up. He could remember being with her like it was yesterday, though the years had dulled the pain until it no longer ached to think of her. But the sadness remained; the sadness of loss and of a life cut short. He would never get over that, he supposed, no matter how hard he tried. He knew Sha're wouldn't want him to mourn her forever, but thinking about finding someone new had made his stomach turn until recently.

"I was the happiest I'd been since my parents died," he told her instead, looking down at the table and fiddling with the silverware. "Life wasn't easy. No central heat. No electricity. Just preparing dinner was nearly an all day event."

He remembered asking to learn how they prepared food, and having Sha're look at him funny, confused as to why a man would want to do a woman's work. But she'd complied and taught him anything he wanted to know. He considered it research, but really, he would have used any excuse to spend time with her.

"Sha're was great," he continued, unaware of the rapt attention that held Cassie. "She was patient with me, taught me anything I asked her to. She didn't treat me any different than she did anyone else. And she loved me unconditionally."

He smiled a bit at that, remembering the trusting look she would get on her face when he proposed some idea or other to her. She would simply nod her head and accept that he knew what he was doing. It had been amazing.

"When she was taken, I blamed myself," he went on, unable to stop now that he had started. "If only I had done things differently. If only I'd left the Stargate buried. But even if I had, Apophis had ships. He could have come in one if his ships and taken her."

Cassie couldn't stand it any longer. She reached across the table and took one of his hands in her own, stilling the fidgeting and anchoring him to the here and now. He took a deep breath and looked up at her with a tremulous smile.

"I guess I just feel like anytime I start to get happy, something will come along and take that happiness away. First it was my parents, then Sha're." He shook his head and leaned back into his chair. "I know that's irrational, but it's the story of my life."

Cassie shook her head and squeezed his hand. "It's not irrational," she told him. "When I first came here, I used to wake up in the middle of the night with these terrible nightmares."

Daniel frowned when he heard that. He hadn't known, so absorbed was he in finding his wife. He gave her an encouraging nod and squeezed her hand reassuringly.

"I had already lost one family, and I was deathly afraid of losing another. Each time I would wake up screaming, Mom would rush into my room and hold me tight. She'd rock me back and forth and tell me she was there and not to worry. And then she'd stay with me until morning."

Cassie took a deep breath to gather herself. "When she died, I expected the fear to come back. I expected to feel alone and abandoned, like I had in my dreams. But I didn't. I had Sam and Jack, and Teal'c, and you," she said, looking into his eyes and squeezing his hand for emphasis. "I was sadder than I thought I could ever be, but I wasn't alone. You guys were my family, and you helped me through it. And it's the same for you. We're your family too, Daniel, and we've helped you through the tough parts. And we'll always be there, whenever you need us."

Daniel's eyes drifted around the room as he thought about what she'd said. When Sha're had died, he'd expected to be angry, to feel alone and abandoned, but he'd felt none of that. His friends, his family, had joined in his mourning and by doing so, had made the sadness a little easier to bear.

"Thanks for reminding me, Cassie," he told her, smiling and squeezing her hand once more before letting go. "I guess I get so wrapped up in myself that I forget I have people around me who care about me."

"That's okay, Daniel," she said with a wink. "That's why we're here. To keep reminding you."

Antonia had been watching from the back of the room as the couple shared an intimate moment. She had wanted to bring them some wine, but didn't want to interrupt. Now though, the moment seemed to have passed, so she herded her husband out of the kitchen and pushed him towards their table.

"Here we are," Giuseppe announced with a flourish as he set two steaming plates of lasagna in front of his guests. He was also short and round, with the requisite large black moustache hovering over a welcoming smile.

"This is Giuseppe," Antonia informed Cassie, "my husband. And this," she crowed, "is a special Chianti I have been saving just for you, my Daniel."

She set down two bulbous glasses and poured a decent amount of the wine into each. Sliding them in front of her guests, she stepped back to stand beside Giuseppe and beamed expectantly.

Cassie looked to Daniel with an amused grin on her face, only to find him wearing the same grin. Shrugging, she scooped up the glass and took a sip. Her face broke into a huge smile as the red liquid slowly seeped down her throat.

"Wonderful," she exclaimed with great enthusiasm, earning her a fit of applause from Antonia and a curious look from Daniel.

"Mangia, mangia," Giuseppe urged, waving his hands at them to encourage them to dig in.

Daniel picked up his fork and cut off a bit of the lasagna to taste. The moment it hit his tongue, a look of bliss crossed his face, and his eyes slid shut in ecstasy. "You've outdone yourself, Giuseppe," he informed the chef around his mouthful of food.

Giuseppe beamed as brightly as Antonia as they moved back towards the kitchen.

"Are they always that…," Cassie trailed off, not sure how to describe it.

"Enthusiastic?" Daniel finished for her. At Cassie's nod, he tipped his head in thought. "I suppose they are. But they're Italian," he finished, as if that explained everything.

Never having been to Italy, Cassie guessed she'd just have to take his word for it. Spearing a bite of lasagna for herself, she put it into her mouth and chewed thoughtfully. "This has to be the best lasagna I've ever had," she told Daniel moments later.

"Isn't it?" he agreed with a smile, glad she approved.

Dinner passed in relative silence, with few comments made due to the delicious flavor of the food and the wine. Antonia quietly cleared their plates sometime later, and delivered dessert without being asked. As with the lasagna, the Tiramisu was fantastic.

"I'm not going to fit into my uniform tomorrow," Cassie complained.

"Yeah, but do you really want to disappoint Antonia by not eating dessert?"

Cassie pulled a face and shook her head vehemently. "I can't imagine how you've stayed so thin with cooking like this so close to home."

"I don't come very often, and when I do, I plan for it," he told her.

"So warn me next time, will you?" she replied plaintively. When she realized what she'd said, her head shot up and her eyes locked with his.

Daniel smiled. "I promise," he told her with a wink and a smile.

They finished their dessert and paid the check, with Antonia fussing over them both as she walked them to the door, helping first one and then the other into their jackets along the way. Once on the sidewalk, Daniel threw his arm around Cassie's shoulders and leaned in to kiss her temple.

"So, congratulations on your first successfully completed mission," he told her, smiling down into her warm brown eyes.

"Why thank you, Daniel," she told him properly, snaking her arms around his waist to hug him in return.

"What time are going to be in tomorrow morning?" he wanted to know.

"Early," she said with distaste. They had to debrief themselves before they talked to the General.

"Maybe I'll see you in the commissary," he hinted before dropping his arm.

"I'll look for you," she told him, a shy look on her face.

Her heart was still doing little flip-flops from the hug and kiss he'd just bestowed on her, and now it felt like he was setting a date for them. He was being so cute, and for just a moment, she was tempted to kiss him back. But in the end, she let him walk her to her car and see her safely inside. One step at a time, she thought to herself.

"Drive safe," he admonished her as he reached for her door to shut it.

"I promise," she echoed his comment from earlier. He shut her door and stood watching as she pulled out of her space and drove away.

Daniel stood there for some time, just thinking as he watched her lights disappear. It had been too long since he'd felt comfortable enough with a woman to open up to her the way he had to Cassie. Then he shook his head and headed for his car. Cassie was family. That explained why he was so comfortable with her. Still, he couldn't explain why the feel of her hand in his had made his heart rate accelerate, nor why her hugging him back had set his whole body tingling. Shaking his head once more, he climbed into his car and put off thinking about it until later.

...continued...


	5. Plans and Misdemeanors

~o~

Cassie slid down the wall and landed with an exhausted thud on the floor. Tipping the beer bottle back, she took a long drink, then leaned her head against the wall and closed her eyes.

It was Saturday, and she and Jill Graves had spent the better part of the day painting her old bedroom. When she'd moved back in to her mother's house, she'd decided the place needed some updating so she'd gotten rid of some old, worn pieces of furniture including her old bed and the living room sofas. The carpets had been relatively new when her mother had died, but had worn some while the renters lived there, so she'd replaced them all. And she'd painted nearly every wall in the house, including the kitchen, which had been a bright yellow but was now more of a buttery color, which suited Cassie much better.

The last of the changes were being made upstairs. She had replaced her mother's bed before she'd moved in, and she and Jill had just finished painting her old bedroom. Blue walls had been great for a teenager, but Cassie wanted something a little more sophisticated to go with her plans for that room.

"What did you say you were going to do with your old room?" Jill asked, taking another swig of beer.

They were seated across from each other in the hallway, trying to avoid the paint fumes. As soon as the last bit of paint had gone up on the wall, Cassie had pulled two beers from the fridge, and they'd proceeded to collapse in the hall, trying to rally their strength so they could clean up.

"I'm thinking I'll put my office in there," she said, eyeing the room out of the corner of her eye.

"But isn't there an office downstairs?" Jill wondered.

Cassie nodded. "Yeah, but that was my mother's office; I'd rather have mine upstairs—more privacy that way. I don't know what I'm going to do with that room yet."

"Well, let me know if you need help," she offered.

"Thanks," Cassie said. She looked down at her hands, covered in paint, and winced. "I'm never going to get all this off," she remarked.

"I say we go get mani's and pedi's tomorrow," Jill suggested.

"If I'm able to move," Cassie groaned for emphasis.

Both women sipped at their beers in silence for a while. The painting had been more tiring than either of them would admit, being in as good shape as they were.

Jill got an impish look on her face. "So," she started as casually as she could, "still crushing on Dr. Jackson?"

Cassie's head shot up, and she eyed Jill suspiciously. She was just tired enough that she didn't have the energy to deny it or put up any false pretenses for Jill's benefit. She thought back to the last time she'd seen him. They'd talked about meeting for coffee the morning after their dinner together, but Cassie's team had been scheduled for an early morning debrief with the General so they had only seen each other briefly that morning, and not at all the rest of the day. Even a few minutes were better than nothing she supposed. But it was now the weekend and she didn't think she'd see him again until later in the week, since the grapevine had SG-1 going offworld for a few days. Man, she had it bad.

"Yeah," she said, huffing out a sigh and dropping her eyes closed.

Jill's eyes narrowed as she examined Cassie. "This isn't some schoolgirl crush, is it?" she asked astutely.

"No," Cassie sighed again. "But when he looks at me, I think he still sees the little kid I was when I first came here."

"Are you sure?" Jill wanted to know.

Cassie nodded. "Sometimes, when we're talking, he'll seem really into it and I feel like we're connecting. But then he'll just shut down, and I can't do anything to draw him out again."

"Hmmm," Jill said. "Sounds tough."

"Yeah. I just don't know what to do," Cassie said, shrugging with helplessness.

"Well, it seems to me you have two choices," Jill started, pointing her beer bottle at Cassie for emphasis. "You can just forget all about him and walk away."

"Or," Cassie prompted, not liking that option much.

"Or you can go for it. Make it obvious you're interested and see what happens."

"And run the risk of it all blowing up in my face," Cassie said, covering her face with her free hand. "If it doesn't work we'll still have to work together."

"Yeah, but nothing ventured, nothing gained," Jill reminded her. "And at least this way you'd know how he feels about you."

"Great," Cassie said, dropping her hand and playing with the label on the bottle. "And if it turns out he doesn't feel that way about me, it'll be totally awkward at work, not to mention at family gatherings."

"There's that," Jill said with a shrug. She watched Cassie struggle for a few moments, as the frustration and fear passed across her friend's face. When it looked like Cassie had come to some sort of conclusion, Jill broke the silence. "So, what're you gonna do?"

"For right now, drown my sorrows in pizza and beer," she said, heaving herself up off the floor. She reached out and helped Jill stand up before turning to face her friend. "As for the rest, I don't know. I'll think of something."

Jill nodded solemnly. If she knew Cassie—and she believed she did—she'd already made the decision and was just waiting for an opportunity to act. She had a sensible head; she just hoped she wouldn't wait too long and miss her chance.

~o~

"I'm just saying, I don't know if hanging out in a dusty, skeleton-infested cave is any better than slogging through driving rain and mud for three days," Jill said as she and Cassie exited the commissary the following Thursday.

They had taken to comparing notes on the conditions of their missions, with each one scoring at least one "not on a bet" entry. Cassie laughed at the image of Jill and her teammates hiking to the abandoned Naquadah mine they'd found, drenched and covered in mud.

"Have you gotten all the mud out of your ears yet?" Cassie asked.

Jill opened her mouth, then promptly shut it as they passed through the doors and into the hallway. "Point taken," she said with a smirk.

As they moved down the hallway, Cassie spotted a familiar face. Giving Jill a wave, she tossed out a quick farewell. "I'll catch up with you later," she promised her friend.

"Good luck," Jill winked back, moving off down the hall towards the elevator.

"Daniel," Cassie called out as she approached the archaeologist.

"Hey Cassie," Daniel greeted her brightly. "Going for lunch?"

Cassie shook her head regretfully. "No, I had an early lunch today."

"Ah," Daniel replied, somewhat disappointed. It had been a week since their dinner together, and in that time they'd seen each other exactly once: a brief few minutes in the commissary the next morning while getting coffee. He was disappointed, but SG-1 had been so busy over the following days that he hadn't really had time to give it any thought. Seeing Cassie now, though, brought a rush of pleasure. "I'm supposed to be meeting the rest of the team," he finished, rousing himself out of his thoughts.

"They're in there," she informed him. "I stopped to say hello on the way out." Cassie took in his appearance and winced. He looked tired and not a little beaten up. "Nice bruise you got there," she teased, pointing out the bluish spot on his temple.

"I forgot to duck," he informed her, chagrin in his tone. Their mission had been a tough one. They'd gone to a world on the brink of falling to the Ori army. Without Adria there had been some hope, faint though it was, that the Priors might pull back and try to regroup. Instead, they had pressed forward until one after the next world had fallen. If the people wouldn't worship the Ori, the village would be wiped out. "We got into a firefight with some Ori soldiers," he explained. "I was trying to protect some villagers, and when I tried to dive out of the way of an incoming blast, I got this."

"Ouch," Cassie cringed. "I'd heard there'd been some action. You're okay, though," she said with a question in her voice.

"Yeah," Daniel confirmed, "nothing injured but my pride." He paused before continuing. "I hear you've got some heavy lifting in your future."

Cassie frowned, then her face cleared when she realized what he was talking about. "P4X-229," she said for clarification, Daniel's answering nod confirming her guess. They were going to attempt to make contact with a planet they'd heard about from the Tok'ra, but couldn't seem to reach via Stargate. So instead, they were hitching a ride on Odyssey. "I thought you were talking about my furniture for a second."

"Your furniture?" Daniel asked, puzzled.

Cassie nodded. "Yeah, I've been doing some work around the house. This weekend I'm planning to rearrange the living room."

"Need any help?" he offered.

"You've got a bump on your head," she pointed out needlessly.

"Doesn't mean I can't help," Daniel rejoined. "How does Saturday sound?"

Cassie beamed. "Sounds great! I'll even cook you lunch," she offered, sweetening the pot.

"You cook?" Daniel feigned shock.

Cassie crossed her arms and frowned at Daniel. "Just for that I might not."

Daniel raised his hands in surrender. "Just kidding," he reassured her. "A home cooked meal sounds good."

Cassie relaxed and smiled. "Come by around ten?"

"Okay, I'll see you then," he said.

"You'd better get going," Cassie told him, casting a glance back at the commissary doors. "They'll be wondering where you've gotten to."

"I'll just blame it on you," Daniel informed her with a wink.

"Thanks," she said with a wry note in her voice. "See you Saturday."

Daniel touched her arm as he said, "I'm looking forward to it." He moved off and pushed through the doors to the commissary, leaving Cassie standing in the hallway.

She watched him go, only turning back towards the elevator when he'd moved out of sight. Her heart feeling light, she nearly skipped down the hall. It felt almost like they were making a date, though she figured Daniel didn't see it that way. Still, she determined she would enjoy their time together, and if the opportunity arose to show him just how she felt, so much the better.

...continued...


	6. Not a Kid Anymore

~o~

Daniel rang the doorbell and then stood back from the door, waiting for Cassie to answer. He hadn't been there since shortly after Janet's death, when he and the rest of SG-1 had helped to clear out the house. Cassie had wanted to return after the Academy, providing she got on at the SGC, so they had put all of the furniture in storage and rented out the house. Her friends from the Academy and some from her training course at the SGC had helped her move back in when she'd returned, something Daniel found quite apropos, considering his friends had done the same for him after each time he'd—well, after each time he'd died and come back to life.

The door swung open, and Cassie appeared in front of him, a huge smile on her face. She was dressed in jeans and a tee shirt, much as he was, but instead of her hair bouncing behind her in a pony tail, it was hanging loose to her shoulders. He found he liked it that way—it made her look older. Shaking that thought off, he stepped inside and paused to take in the room.

"Wow, new couches," he observed. The room was now dominated by a huge sectional, with one side under the front window. Daniel walked into the room and fingered the material, dropping his jacket onto the back of one end.

Cassie nodded, though he wasn't looking at her. "I got tired of the old ones. Mom'd had them for ages, but I wanted something different."

"So is this what we're moving today?" His confidence appeared to waver slightly as he eyed the couches critically.

Seeing his eyes grow larger, Cassie rushed to reassure him. "It's a sectional, Daniel," she pointed to where the two pieces joined in the corner. "It shouldn't be any harder than moving two separate couches."

"Got it," he said, smiling at her and giving a wink to let her know he was kidding.

Shaking her head in exasperation, she pushed him towards the kitchen. "Want some coffee before we start?"

"Love some," he said with some drama. He'd overslept that morning, after not having slept well the night before, so he'd only had time to choke down a single cup of instant along with his morning toast. Cassie followed him into the kitchen, stopping behind him as he took in the changes. "I know I've said this before, but wow," he said as he admired the new wall color and drapes.

Cassie looked around approvingly before reaching for a coffee mug and filling it. "Yeah, I guess I've been busy," she said as she handed him the steaming mug.

"I'll say," Daniel confirmed. "I like it." He paused to sip the coffee and lifted his head in surprise at the familiar taste. "Is this my brand?"

Cassie blushed slightly. "Busted," she said, a small smile on her face. "I liked it so much the last time I was over that I peeked in your cupboard to find out what it was."

Daniel laughed. "I never would have figured you for a coffee snob."

"Hey, coffee is the most important meal of the day," she informed him.

Daniel cocked his head as he replied. "Isn't that supposed to be 'breakfast is the most important meal of the day'?"

"For some people," she said, "but for me, breakfast without coffee—good coffee—just tastes like cardboard."

"A woman after my own heart," he said, placing his hand on his chest, a pleased look stealing across his face.

"Why thank you, kind sir," Cassie replied.

"So, been on any bike rides lately?" he asked, curious to know what else she'd been doing outside the SGC. They hadn't seen much of each other lately, and he felt out of touch.

"I wish," came her glum reply. "I've been so busy working on the house and with SG-9 now that I'm fully up to speed, that I haven't had much time. I'm thinking about heading out to Garden of the Gods in a couple of weeks for some hiking, though."

"It's beautiful up there," Daniel put in. "We used to go up there a lot, back when Jack was still at the SGC. Speaking of which, how is he? I haven't had time to call him lately."

Cassie nodded, having just taken a sip of her own coffee. "He's good. Hates Washington, misses Colorado. You know, the usual."

"He should make some excuse to come out here. I know Sam would appreciate it."

"I tried telling him that," Cassie confirmed, thinking that as a general, Jack O'Neill worked way too hard. "He says he's too busy. I told him Sam was beginning to feel neglected, so he sends her roses instead."

Cassie and Daniel rolled their eyes at the same moment, knowing of Jack's love/hate relationship with clichés, and then burst into laughter. "It may not be original, but she does like to know she's being thought of," Daniel reminded her.

"I know," Cassie said, rinsing out her mug. "Must be nice to have someone to do that for you."

"It's nice to have someone, period," Daniel stated with a smile. He wondered what it would be like to send Cassie flowers—how she would react, if she even liked getting flowers—then wondered why he was asking that question. It seemed he was seeing Cassie in a whole new light, and he wasn't entirely comfortable with that idea.

Cassie whipped around to look at him. He had an intense look in his eyes that had her curious. "What's that look for?" she asked him.

"Just thinking," was all Daniel would say. He stuffed his hands into his pockets in a very Jack O'Neill gesture, and corralled his wandering thoughts. "So, ready to get started?"

Cassie nodded, still puzzled over Daniel's words and the expression on his face. He seemed to once again be opening up, only to shut down. She sighed. This would be harder than she'd thought. She wondered briefly if it would be worth it, but dismissed that momentary doubt out of hand. Of course it would be worth it. The best things in life usually were.

She rinsed Daniel's mug as these thoughts rolled through her mind. Turning back to him, she put a bright smile on her face. "Let's go," she waved him on and headed back towards the front of the house.

An hour later, after much grunting and groaning and Cassie nearly laughing her head off at how Daniel complained that she was trying to kill him, the sectional was sitting in its new home. In place of the couch under the front window there were now two rather comfortable club chairs, with a low table sporting a lamp in between. The couch itself was now flipped to the opposite side so that it formed its 'L' shape next to the dining room, with the other end facing the fireplace. A large leather ottoman sat in the center, completing the room.

"Looks pretty good, if I do say so myself," Daniel crowed.

Cassie rolled her eyes. "You say that now, but you weren't so convinced a little while ago."

"A little while ago I thought I was going to die of an aneurism."

Cassie boxed him in the arm. "Just for that, I might withhold lunch."

Daniel turned to her and put his hands up in surrender. "You wouldn't do that to me, would you?"

Cassie reached out and patted him on the cheek. "Just for you, My Daniel, I bring something special," she said in a perfect imitation of Antonia Lucca. She winked and then made her way to the kitchen.

Daniel stayed rooted to the spot, thinking of the thrill he got when she touched him, not to mention the way his heart did that little flip-flop thing when she called him 'My Daniel'. He let the pleasure of the moment wash over him, and for once, didn't try to train his thoughts back in order. Instead, he followed Cassie into the kitchen.

Cassie couldn't believe how bold she'd just been, shaking her head as she walked. Calling him 'My Daniel'! As she pulled the makings for lunch out of the refrigerator she smiled to herself. Well, if she'd set out that day to make sure Daniel knew she was interested in him as more than just an old family friend, that was a great start. She only hoped he wouldn't freak out and shut down again.

"What's for lunch?" Daniel called as he entered the kitchen. He noticed the array of dishes on the counter and wondered briefly if he looked like he needed to be fed: there appeared to be enough food to feed an army.

Cassie turned as she set the last of the bowls down on the counter. "Grab me the big salad bowl in that cabinet, will you?" she asked as she began to remove the plastic wrap from the bowls.

Daniel did as she asked, setting it down in the only free spot he could find. "I said I was hungry but this is a little much, don't you think?"

"I cut the vegetables for the salad this morning, since I figured we wouldn't want to do it after all that work," she explained on a laugh. "Now I just need to put it all together."

"Here, let me," Daniel offered, taking the bowl out of her hand and beginning to dump salad ingredients inside.

Cassie moved out of his way and reached for the plate of chicken instead. "I'm going to start the bar-b-que," she called over her shoulder as she opened the French doors at the back of the kitchenette and stepped onto the deck.

In no time, she had the chicken cooking, and together they set the table on the deck, deciding that it was a nice day and they'd both rather be outside. Daniel served the salad onto the two plates Cassie gave him, and when the chicken was done, Cassie cut it up and placed some on her salad and some on Daniel's. Setting his plate in front of him, she took her seat and proceeded to dig in.

"This is good!" Daniel said after the first bite of chicken, unable to keep the surprise out of his voice.

Cassie frowned good-naturedly. "Jeez, Daniel, you act as though I've never cooked before."

"Sorry," he said, tucking his chin a little in his chagrin. "I guess I've never gotten to see you being so domestic." He paused, then continued. "I mean the painting, rearranging the furniture. And now this. I'm impressed."

A blush stole up Cassie's face, and she wasn't able to stop it. "Thanks, Daniel. I appreciate that."

They finished eating while sharing some light small talk, taking turns sharing some of their likes and dislikes. Daniel was surprised to know Cassie liked Classic Rock, though he wasn't sure what constituted 'classic' for her. He figured it was the music from the eighties, which in his mind had been the worst decade for music in history. Cassie was absolutely astonished to find that Daniel had a soft spot for old movies, particularly the romantic ones.

"When have you ever watched a romantic movie, Daniel?" she asked as they took their plates into the kitchen and deposited them in the sink. "I'd have thought that impossible with Teal'c's love affair with 'Star Wars' and 'Lord of the Rings'."

"I don't spend all my time with SG-1," he insisted. "Sometimes, when I'm working late at night, I'll flip on the TV and find an old favorite."

"Okay, Mr. Late-Night-TV," she eyed him, a challenging glint in her eyes, "what's your favorite?"

"That's easy," Daniel said with a smile. "'I Was A Male War Bride'."

"Huh?"

"You know, Cary Grant, Ann Sheridan. He's French, she's American. They fall in love. Any of this ringing a bell?"

Cassie shook her head. "Must have missed that one."

"Actually, I have it on DVD. I'll bring it over one night and we'll watch. It's totally hilarious," he offered.

"I'd like that," she told him sincerely.

As they talked, they'd moved closer to each other until they were nearly toe to toe, leaning against the counter for support. Daniel looked into Cassie's eyes and found himself captivated and unable to look away. She was so confident standing before him. And yet, there was a softness and vulnerability that he found very attractive. He felt himself lean in, and reached out to cradle her neck to steady himself. In that instant, he realized where he was and what he was doing. He paused and closed his eyes, willing his racing heart to slow down and let him breathe, let him think.

"I should go," he whispered, pulling back and turning to leave the room.

Cassie followed him, watching helplessly as he pulled his jacket on and headed for the front door.

"I'm not a kid anymore, Daniel," she called to him from the kitchen doorway.

Daniel stopped next to the couch but didn't turn around. Cassie saw that as a good sign and approached him, placing her hand on his shoulder to turn him to face her. He complied but kept his face hidden, fearful of what would happen if he looked at her again.

"I'm an adult, and so are you," she said in a low voice, willing him to look at her. "I know what I want," she told him, wanting so much to reach for him, hold him, but stilling her hands at her side for fear of scaring him away.

Daniel's head lifted at her last words, and his eyes locked with hers, trying to read in their brown depths if she really did know what she was asking.

"I know you're scared," she said, as if confirming his need to hear it. "I'm scared too. But I'm willing to try. Are you?"

Daniel still hadn't spoken, and the intense look in his eyes was starting to unnerve her. But just when she would have made to walk away, his hand lifted and wrapped around her neck once more, tangling his fingers in her hair. With his other hand, he pulled her hip to him, bringing them flush. Cassie grabbed onto the lapels of his leather jacket, her heart racing and her mind reeling at what might actually be about to happen.

Leaning in closer, Daniel let his eyes fall shut, and just for once, stopped doing everything except feeling. His lips touched hers, softly, just a whisper of contact, and when she didn't pull away he leaned closer and covered her lips with his own.

Cassie sighed and her eyes fluttered closed. Daniel's kiss was gentle but full of passion. His tongue slipped over her lips, begging entrance, and she willingly granted it, sighing once more at the overwhelming sensation as he explored her mouth, teasing, touching, evoking such passion in her as she'd never experienced before.

When it seemed she could stand no more he pulled away, gently leaving her before resting his forehead on hers, both breathing heavily as though they'd run a marathon.

"My God," he whispered, breath still coming in gasps as he worked to calm his racing heart. Kissing her had seemed so wrong in the kitchen, but when he'd finally given in it had felt so right he never wanted to stop. But he needed to, needed to get away from her and really think this through, something he'd been avoiding until now, he realized.

Cassie smiled at his comment, agreeing wholeheartedly. Never in all her twenty-two years had she ever been kissed like that. And she'd been kissed a few times. But even she didn't know it was possible to convey that depth of emotion in just a simple kiss. Actually, there was nothing simple about it. Now that she knew what it felt like, she was fairly certain she'd never get enough.

"I should go," Daniel repeated, this time with more conviction. He kissed Cassie on the forehead and fled the room, softly pulling the front door closed behind him.

Cassie's hand drifted up to her lips, now swollen from being kissed. She thought she'd probably be able to live on that kiss for a while, so intense was it. But, knowing that the dishes wouldn't wash themselves, she took herself off to the kitchen to finish cleaning up.

She had wanted to leave Daniel in no doubt as to her interest in him. If that kiss was any indication, she had completed her task better than even she had hoped. She only hoped Daniel didn't get scared and run for the hills.

...continued...


	7. Pearls of Wisdom

~o~

Teal'c sat in Daniel's office early Sunday morning, working with him on translating a tablet written in an obscure and little used Ancient dialect. SG-14 had brought it back on their last mission, and though it wasn't a priority, Daniel had been meaning to get to it for some time. He'd lain awake in bed the night before, staring at the ceiling, his mind going in a thousand different directions until he'd risen in frustration and called Teal'c to tell him he was on his way in to work on the tablet.

Now though, an hour later, they had made precious little progress. Daniel's eyes were constantly drifting with his thoughts. This had not gone unnoticed by Teal'c, who had sat by patiently, waiting for his friend to either focus on the task at hand or turn to him for advice. When it seemed he would do neither, Teal'c decided it was time to act.

"Are you well, Daniel Jackson?"

Daniel, startled from his latest musings, casting a sheepish glance at Teal'c. "I'm fine," he said and turned back to examine the tablet.

"You do not appear to be fine," Teal'c observed.

Daniel looked at his friend and gave a wane smile. "I'm fine, really," he tried to assure him. "I just didn't sleep that great last night, that's all."

Teal'c lifted his eyebrow in question. He could sense that something else was wrong, but unless he pushed, Daniel would reveal very little. "Are you certain that is all that troubles you?"

Daniel's shoulders slumped, and he took off his glasses and rubbed at his eyes before putting them back on. Pushing back a little from the workbench, he sighed and rubbed a hand at the back of his neck. He knew Teal'c wouldn't give up until he'd found out what was bothering him, and right now he didn't have the energy to fight.

Closing his eyes, he dropped his head back and spoke. "I kissed Cassie yesterday."

Teal'c's eyebrow nearly shot off his face as he took in Daniel's words, but he quickly schooled his expression as Daniel raised his head and looked at his friend.

"You kissed Cassandra Frasier. As a man would kiss his mate," Teal'c clarified, though he already knew what the answer would be.

Daniel's courage failed him and he looked away, nodding his head in confirmation. Leaping up as if his stool were on fire, he began to pace back and forth as he spoke. "I mean, I don't know what I was thinking. It's Cassie, right? But she's so grown up now. And beautiful. And smart. But she's Cassie," he began to ramble, and once started, he couldn't stop. "And it's been so long since I've been with anyone. And I'm totally nervous, and scared, and unsure. But it's Cassie, right? And I think if anyone is safe, it's her, but Cassie? She's so much younger than me. And Jack would kill me if he found out. But she's so much fun to be around, and I keep finding myself looking forward to seeing her. But, Cassie. Our Cassie," Daniel finally sputtered to a halt, dropping back onto his stool, now spent.

"You have said that several times, Daniel Jackson," Teal'c admonished wryly, hoping to break Daniel out of his spiral.

Daniel just sat there, dumbfounded. He hadn't planned to say anything to anyone, even Teal'c, who could always be relied upon to be the soul of discretion as well as a good sounding board. But keeping it in had been too hard, and now that he was spent, he was even more unsure than when he'd started.

Teal'c eyed his friend critically. It hadn't escaped his notice that there was some interest in Daniel on Cassie's part. And their interactions obviously gave Daniel some pleasure. He found that he didn't disapprove of his friend seeing her romantically. But he would have to choose his words carefully for them to have an impact on an obviously confused Daniel.

"It has been my observation, Daniel Jackson, that, while you are not alone, you are most assuredly lonely. I do not believe Sha're would have wanted this for you."

Daniel's eyes shot to the other man's, absorbing the truth of his statement. "I guess I have buried myself in my work lately," he said, chagrin coloring his tone at having been caught out.

"Mourning for a loved one is understandable, however the time for mourning is long past," Teal'c reminded him.

"I know. And I think I'm ready, but Cassie?" Daniel begged for clarity.

"Cassandra Frasier is indeed a beautiful and intelligent young woman," he began. "Does that alone not make her worthy of your affection?"

Daniel shook his head. "Maybe where you come from, but here they'd call me a dirty old man."

Teal'c frowned. "You do not appear to require bathing, though I do not know when you last showered."

Daniel laughed at that, relaxing a little. "It's an expression, Teal'c," he explained. "It means that others might look at us and think I have less than honorable intentions towards her because of our age difference."

"I know you well, Daniel Jackson," Teal'c intoned. "If you chose to pursue a relationship with Cassandra Frasier, your intentions would be entirely honorable."

"But you know me," Daniel confirmed. "Those who don't wouldn't be so sure."

"And why do their opinions matter to you?"

It was a good question, and not really his chief objection. It wasn't what others thought about him that mattered. It was whether or not he had a right to ask Cassie to accept an older man. Their life together would be short, and she would likely be a young widow. Those thoughts surprised him because he didn't think his thoughts about her had turned so serious.

Daniel shook his head, bringing himself back to the here and now. "That's not the point."

"Then what is the point, Daniel Jackson?" Teal'c fired back, lifting his eyebrow once more in question.

"I guess I'm just afraid that she's too young to know what she wants," Daniel sighed as he tried to explain. "And I don't know if I can go through the pain of losing someone I care that much about again." His chin dropped to his chest, and he sighed. Looking up again, he voiced his original objection. "I'm just so much older than her."

Teal'c raised his eyebrow and contemplated Daniel's words. Choosing to address one thing at a time, he opened his mouth to speak. "Did Cassandra Frasier return your kiss?"

Daniel blushed to the roots of his hair as his gaze unfocused and he remembered their kiss. Did she kiss him back? Hell yes! It had been amazing, but he'd been so caught up in his own actions he'd practically missed hers. Nodding his head, he replied in a quiet whisper. "Yes, she did."

Teal'c gave a ghost of a smile, though Daniel didn't see it since his mind was still far away. He waited patiently as Daniel's thoughts ran their course, and only when his attention was fixed once again on him did he continue.

"It is quite possible that you will not return from a mission one day, Daniel Jackson, just as it is possible that she will not return. One cannot fail to live each day to its fullest when that is the reality of one's life," he explained, calling on the wisdom learned during his time on Oddysey to help his friend.

"Life's too short, huh?" Daniel threw out. They'd talked more than once about all they'd learned aboard the Odyssey. It had become habit to throw those lessons out from time to time, when one of them was being an idiot. Like Daniel, right now.

Teal'c nodded his head in affirmation, a small smile playing at his lips. "Indeed."

Daniel nodded and sighed. "Still doesn't change the fact that I'm old enough to be her father."

"I have often observed that Cassandra Frasier displays a wisdom beyond her years. Perhaps that is part of what attracts you to her," Teal'c offered gently.

"Maybe," Daniel said, letting the thought roll around in his mind. "But this is Cassie we're talking about. Our Cassie. She's part of our family. Can it really work?"

Teal'c gave a soft sigh. Changing the status quo in favor of a situation that would be unfamiliar and uncertain was never easy. Teal'c had never been fearful of acting, because actions were all he had. Fear simply wasn't part of the equation for him. But his friend had a great deal to lose if things changed for the worse.

"Daniel Jackson," Teal'c addressed him, "I believe you would treat Cassandra Frasier with the utmost care and respect. Of this I have no doubt, because you are a man of honor, and because you already care deeply for her. I do not believe your friends, your family, will disapprove once they see the genuineness of your bond."

"Even Jack?" Daniel asked hesitantly. Of all his friends, Jack O'Neill was the one person who could and would snap him like a twig if he hurt or took advantage of Cassie, and he knew it.

Teal'c's eyebrow climbed back up his forehead. "I believe O'Neill would eventually come to understand."

Daniel snorted. "Yeah, after he broke my neck."

"Perhaps," he confirmed. "But that is not your concern. If you have acted honorably where she is concerned, you will have nothing to fear."

"Maybe," Daniel said again, still obviously unsure.

"I have said all I can," Teal'c told him. "Perhaps now is the time you should speak to Cassandra Frasier of what concerns you."

"I guess you're right," Daniel said, still unsure of what he should do. "And thanks."

Teal'c once again bowed his head with a smile. "Indeed."

Both men turned as one back to the tablet. Daniel's thoughts were still muddled, but he was more focused as he and Teal'c worked on the translation. He didn't have any more answers than before they talked, but Teal'c had given him some things to think about. He would wait to do his thinking when he was alone. Firmly putting Cassie in the back of his mind, he set to work.

~o~

Dawn tinted the sky with radiant hues of pink, purple and orange as the sun rose on P6Y-509. Daniel sipped at his tepid coffee, contemplating the sunrise and his own potential new beginning. It was Wednesday, and he hadn't seen or spoken to Cassie since he'd left her house Saturday afternoon. He'd since spent four sleepless nights considering what he wanted to do, and he was no closer to having an answer.

The sun crept higher in the sky as Daniel finished out the last watch of the night in silence. He'd spent Sunday working, mostly successfully, on the translation with Teal'c, and had been able to finish it up on Monday. He'd thought about talking to Cassie, just to let her know he wasn't trying to avoid her, but then General Landry had assigned them to a two day recon mission first thing Tuesday, and there'd been no time. In hindsight, that was a good thing, because he still didn't know what he would say to her if they were to talk.

At the thought of Cassie, his mind conjured up an image of her in her green utilities, hair tied back in a ponytail, face flush with excitement. He felt a frisson of happiness race through him at the thought. He had to admit that he truly did enjoy spending time with her. She was smart, like Sam Carter was smart. The only reason she'd decided to forgo graduate school immediately on graduation was because she was too anxious to get into the SGC and start working. He found that sort of enthusiasm refreshing, not to mention contagious. He'd found himself looking forward to missions lately in a way he hadn't ever done before, and he knew it was because he was beginning to see things from a fresh perspective: her perspective.

But it wasn't only her smarts that he liked, he thought as he took another sip of coffee. She had a warm, bubbly personality that was so inviting. She always had time for other people, and had quickly made friends at the SGC—friends that she would likely have for the rest of her life. He liked that she was so open and honest. And she knew how to have fun, to leave work behind and immerse herself in something totally unrelated. It was a skill he hadn't ever quite mastered. Even on their downtime, SG-1 tended to talk shop. It wasn't the only thing they had in common, but work so consumed their lives that it seemed sometimes that was the only thing they wanted to talk about.

Unbidden, another image of Cassie floated through his mind. This time, she was seated across from him at the dinner table, when they'd gone out to celebrate her first mission. She'd been radiant that evening, the red shirt giving her face a healthy glow and turning her dark blonde hair into a rich gold halo. He thought for a moment how he'd known her for over half her life, and had always thought she was pretty, but seeing her working at the SGC had made him realize she'd grown into a beautiful and amazing woman.

But wasn't he too old for her? True, she was quite mature for her age, always had been. But did that mean they would be able to have a relationship? They had actually had many of the same life experiences, having both lost parents young. He just didn't know, and to own it, he was a little afraid to take the leap and try to find out. What if it didn't work? Where did that leave them? Where did that leave him? Because when it came right down to it, he was still afraid of being hurt again. And he was a little afraid of hurting Cassie, too. What if he wasn't who or what she thought he'd be? He knew living life involved some risks, but was this risk one he could take? Cassie seemed to think so. He still wasn't sure.

"Coffee, Daniel?" came a feminine voice from behind him.

Startled, he turned around and found Vala Mal Doran looking down at him, a smirk on her face. "I made a fresh pot," she waggled the coffee pot and her eyebrows for emphasis.

Daniel frowned good-naturedly. "Some night watchman I turned out to be."

He tossed the dregs of his cold coffee and held his cup out for her to fill. Vala poured the fresh coffee into his cup, then filled her own and sat down next to him on the ground, facing the dawn.

"How does that expression go?" she asked. "Penny for your thoughts?"

Daniel nodded confirmation, then considered how much he really wanted to tell her. Reveal too much and she'd have it all over the SGC by noon. Reveal too little and she wouldn't stop pestering him until he gave it all up.

"Just contemplating some things," he hedged.

"Mmmm, sounds weighty," she said, pursing her lips and nodding solemnly. "Care to elaborate?"

Daniel sipped at his coffee and thought about his dilemma. "I was just thinking about risks versus rewards."

"Oooh, I like risk," Vala said, sitting up a little straighter.

Daniel smirked. "I know."

"But you don't," came her astute observation.

"Not so much," he replied. "I know we usually manage to get out of risky situations with our lives intact, but luck like that isn't gonna hold."

"What's this about, Daniel?"

Daniel shook his head. He was so not going to tell her about Cassie. "I'm just thinking," he said instead.

Vala narrowed her eyes at Daniel. "Alright, let's try this—assuming you're considering some action. What's the reward if you take the risk?"

Daniel looked at her, surprise written all over his face. She hadn't tried to wheedle it out of him, choosing instead to play along. Maybe she had changed some, he mused. Out loud, he said, "A chance at happiness, some personal fulfillment, a potential new beginning."

"And if you don't?"

"Never knowing if I made the decision based on fear," he said in a low voice.

Vala nodded. "You know what they say: nothing ventured, nothing gained," she offered.

He smiled as he looked at her. "Yet another lesson learned aboard Odyssey," he said, nodding in agreement. "Teal'c mentioned something similar on Sunday." It seemed Teal'c wasn't the only one trying to remind him of what was truly important in life.

"Teal'c knows about this?" Vala said, glee written all over her face. "I wonder if I can get it out of him."

So she wasn't playing along, just biding her time figuring he'd have to tell her eventually anyway. Daniel smirked. "You may not ask Teal'c about this. Besides, I doubt he'd tell you anyway."

Vala leaned back, propping herself on one arm, a satisfied smirk on her face. "Oh, I don't know. I have my ways."

"Like the ways you've tried to get him to tell you about what happened on Odyssey?" Daniel shot back. At her frown, Daniel chuckled. She hadn't had any more luck than the rest of them, though that hardly seemed to stop her. "Thanks, Vala," he said instead.

"For what?" she frowned.

"Just thanks," he said, reaching around her shoulders to squeeze her.

Activity behind them told them that the rest of the team was beginning to stir, so by mutual unspoken agreement, they rose and set about getting breakfast ready. They were scheduled to return to the SGC that morning, after one more look around, and suddenly Daniel couldn't wait to get back. He'd learned over the years to heed his friends' advice, because they were usually right. If Teal'c and Vala—though she didn't know it—were encouraging him to take a chance, maybe it was a chance worth taking.

...continued...


	8. Doing This

~o~

Cassie slammed her locker shut and leaned her forehead against the cool metal. It was Wednesday, and she hadn't seen or talked to Daniel in days. Ordinarily, she wouldn't worry about it, especially since the base grapevine had SG-1 offworld again. But she worried she'd gone too far on Saturday and he might now be trying to avoid her. It was a disconcerting thought, and she found it caused tears to prick at her eyes.

Standing up straight, she blinked rapidly to squelch the sensation. If things weren't meant to work out with Daniel, she would survive. It would be a disappointment, but if she'd learned anything in life it was that things didn't always turn out the way you'd planned. Squaring her shoulders, she threw a duffel full of laundry over her shoulder, grabbed her purse and charged out of the locker room…and right into Daniel Jackson.

"Sorry," she mumbled when she realized who it was. For a moment, her heart leaped in her chest, so glad was she to see him. She promptly tamped down on her happiness, and glanced away from him, afraid that if she looked into his eyes she really would cry.

"Hey, it's okay," he assured her. "I was just coming to look for you, actually."

Cassie's eyes jumped to lock with Daniel's, her determination failing her. "You were?"

"Yeah," he confirmed. "Are you on your way out?" he asked. At her nod, he continued, "Walk with me?"

Cassie nodded once more and followed him to the elevators. They didn't speak the entire ride to the surface, leaving Cassie confused and apprehensive. When the elevator finally stopped, they both stepped off and signed out for the day before heading out to the parking lot. Daniel followed Cassie to her car, and watched as she stowed her duffel and purse in the back seat.

Leaning against the front fender, he waited for her to finish before beginning the conversation. When Cassie was done, she came to stand before him, worry covering her face. Her expression didn't escape Daniel's notice, and he reached out and took Cassie's hands in his, lacing their fingers together. Taking a deep breath, he looked at their intertwined hands as he started to speak.

"You were right," he began, looking up into her eyes. "I was afraid. I am afraid. You're so young; twenty years younger than me. It made me wonder if you could possibly know what you want, if you know who you are, and who I am. I worried that we might not have anything in common, besides this place."

Daniel paused and looked away, gathering his thoughts. Cassie didn't interrupt. She was afraid if she did, he might bail out, and that was the last thing she wanted. She wanted to know what his decision was, and she knew arguing her point wasn't going to get her an answer. If she had to stand there silently for the rest of the night, she would, so Daniel could do this in his own way.

"Some wise people I know have reminded me of some things we learned recently," he continued, returning his gaze to her and smiling into her eyes. "Life is too short. Things could change in a heartbeat, and having regrets in your final moments is no way to face dying. And nothing ventured, nothing gained. Sometimes the risks we take pay off, sometimes they don't, but that shouldn't stop us from trying."

Cassie smiled at him, digesting his words. He'd really given this a lot of thought. She'd hoped it would be an easy decision for him to make, but she also understood how paralyzing fear could be. She'd been surprised and a little afraid herself when she'd realized that her feelings for Daniel were more than a schoolgirl crush. She'd been afraid that if she tried to show him how she felt, that things wouldn't work out. She might never know how close she came to that, but his words so far were encouraging.

Daniel stood up and released her hands, reaching out to cup her cheeks, rubbing his thumbs across her face, looking deeply as if to memorize every detail. When he spoke it was in low tones, but his voice held conviction.

"I want to give this a try, give us a try," he told her, his eyes boring into her soul. "But I need to go slow, so you'll have to be patient with me."

"I can do patient," Cassie assured him with a smile, speaking for the first time since they'd left the mountain. She lifted her hands to rest on his chest, finding his heart beating as fast as her own.

Daniel smiled, his first genuine smile since running into her. "Good," he said. "Now, terms and conditions."

Cassie smirked. "What is this, the lottery?"

"Hey," Daniel exclaimed. At her mumbled apology, he continued. "First, we keep this low key. I don't want this all over the base until we decide to tell people, and that includes family." At her nod, he went on. "And when we're together, we're only allowed to talk about work for the first fifteen minutes. It'll help us find more common ground."

"I like that," Cassie said, pleased he would think of it. "Anything else?"

"One more thing," Daniel said, a little trepidation steeling into his heart. If she didn't go for it, their relationship would end before it began. "We're playing for keeps, Cassie. I'm not going through this again, so it's all or nothing with you."

Cassie's breath hitched at his words, and her whole body started tingling. He was serious. Serious about her. It was way more than she had dared hope for when she'd started this, and she felt the tears start to sting her eyes before she even realized what was happening.

Daniel notice her tearing up and had a moment of doubt. "What's this for?" he asked, fearful that he'd read the whole situation wrong.

"I was just hoping to get to date you for a while, Daniel," she said, her eyes welling up even as she willed herself to stay calm. "I wasn't sure you'd even want to do that much, and now you're saying you want to go all the way. Do you know how lucky I feel right now?"

Daniel smiled. "I think I'm the lucky one," he told her. "I get a second chance at the life I thought I'd lost."

"Then let's make it a good one," she said, her emotions clamoring to burst from her chest. She slid her hands down his chest and around his waist to pull him closer, all the while thanking whatever gods were listening for not letting her down.

Daniel leaned in and brushed his lips against hers once, twice, and then again and again, until they were lost in each other's kisses. When they finally pulled back from each other, he slid his arms around her shoulders and held her close, finally feeling as though he had come home. They stood that way for some time, until Daniel finally broke the silence.

"I guess we've already had our first and second dates," he joked, pulling back slightly to catch Cassie's smile. "I'd love to make tonight our third date, but I'm afraid I'm so tired I'd fall asleep on you."

"Tough mission?" she asked.

"I haven't slept well since our last date," he said, smirking at her.

"Wow," she said. "If I'd known that kissing you would have that kind of effect, I'd have done it sooner."

"Funny," he said, chuckling. "So what do you say we go out and have a nice dinner together tomorrow night?"

"I like the sound of that," she said, reaching up to brush his lips with hers.

"Okay," he said, pulling back so as not to be tempted to follow her down that road. The kissing was nice, but he was tired, and didn't want to disappoint her. "Tell you what, I'll pick you up at your house around seven. Dress up," he added, knowing exactly where he'd like to take her for dinner. He only hoped he could get a reservation on short notice.

"I'll be ready," she told him. Excitement began to take hold as she thought forward to their next date.

"I'd better get going then, before I fall asleep standing up," he told her, regret in his voice. Now that he'd made the decision, he wanted to spend as much time with her as he could.

Seeing how tired he really was, Cassie didn't protest. "Drive careful," was all she said, kissing him once more gently on the lips.

Daniel saw her into her car, standing by until she'd pulled away much as he had after their dinner at Lucca's. Then he wandered over to his own car and set off for home. He was tired, but at the same time so excited he was afraid he might not get to sleep. What had seemed like such a crazy idea a few days ago now seemed like the best thing that had ever happened to him, and he was looking forward to the experience.

...continued...


	9. Already Fallen

~o~

Daniel sat in the restaurant the next evening taking in the vision that was Cassie Frasier. He'd managed to get a table at Stonewall's, one of the finest restaurants in the Springs. When he'd shown up on Cassie's doorstep shortly before seven, he'd expected her to be running late. After all, wasn't that what women did? He'd fussed with his own suit and tie until it seemed, if not perfect, then at least passable. But on ringing the doorbell, Cassie immediately answered and she was, in a word, stunning. Daniel still didn't think he'd quite gotten over that first look.

It was this image, of her standing inside her front door looking every inch the woman she was that still had Daniel in a fog. Which is when he knew this thing with Cassie was for real. Sha're had left him feeling similarly disoriented. All she'd had to do was smile at him and his mind would turn to Jello. And he'd loved her almost from the start.

Cassie had noticed Daniel's admiration and reveled in it. She had raced home after work, thanking her lucky stars that she'd bought a new dress on impulse a few weeks back. She hadn't had any idea where she might wear it, but now that she had a reason she was elated. She'd taken the time to do her hair in an intricate up-do, and with her smoky eyes and glossy lips, she felt glamorous. Her dress was a simple black sheath with a halter neck, and she'd grabbed a shimmery silver wrap to go with her strappy shoes. She might freeze before the night was over but she'd look great doing it.

They were seated at a table in a quiet corner of the restaurant, near the back, but instead of sitting across from each other, as they had done at Lucca's, Daniel was seated to her right. When the waiter had taken their orders and left them with water and bread, their attention turned to each other.

"Have I told you how beautiful you look tonight?" Daniel asked, his eyes sparkling with admiration.

"Yes, you have," Cassie reminded him. His first words on seeing her earlier had been 'Wow'. "But you can keep saying it."

"Okay," he said. "You look beautiful." He picked up her hand where it lay on the table and brushed his lips across her knuckles.

Cassie blushed at his open display of affection. This thing between them was so new that she didn't really know what to expect. It was surprising and thrilling to know Daniel was willing to demonstrate his feelings without regard to what others might think.

"What's that look for?" he asked, a faint smile on his face. He could see her slight embarrassment, but he wasn't going to stop. He found he liked having the freedom to kiss her whenever he wanted to.

Cassie shook her head. "The guys I dated at the Academy weren't allowed to show affection in public. The most any of us could do was hold hands," she explained. "I guess I just got used to it."

"Would you like me to stop?" he offered.

"No," she shook her head again. "It's nice."

"Good. Then that's settled," he said as he leaned over and brushed her cheek with a kiss. Cassie's blush deepened, causing Daniel to chuckle unrepentantly.

"So," Cassie started, hoping to steer the conversation in a direction that wouldn't lead to her blushing all night. "How was work today?"

It sounded so cliché that Daniel chuckled again. He leaned back so he could look at his watch, marking the time. "Fifteen minutes starting now, huh?"

"Yeah," she said, glancing at his watch to note the time for herself.

"Work was work," Daniel said. At Cassie's frown, he elaborated. "I'm working my way through the translations on some of those books we found a while back," he said cryptically, knowing she'd get his meaning. "It's tedious sometimes, but I actually enjoy it."

"Has Teal'c been helping you?"

"Some," he acknowledged. "His grasp of the dialect isn't as strong, but it's nice to have company sometimes. What about you?"

"We're getting ready to make a trip in the next week or so," she said, not mentioning any place names. "We're going to be negotiating a trade agreement, apparently."

"For us?"

"For a third party, actually," Cassie said. "Apparently, our reputation precedes us; they asked for us specifically."

"Impressive," Daniel said, raising his eyebrows.

"Don't get excited," Cassie admonished him. "The…accommodations aren't the best," she said, wrinkling her nose.

Daniel laughed. "You'll get used to that."

"I hope so," she said dramatically. From what she'd heard, they were going to have to hike into the jungle to meet up with the two groups, and this jungle apparently had a squishy bottom. She was definitely going to win the not-on-a-bet contest this time around.

"Alright, moving on," Daniel said, noting it had been nearly fifteen minutes since they'd started this conversation. "Of all the wonderful things on the menu, you pick chicken. I want to know why?"

"Well, I don't much like steak, and I've never had fish," she told him.

"You mean to tell me you've lived here for over ten years and you've never tried fish?" he exclaimed.

Cassie shook her head. "Mom didn't want to make me eat anything I didn't want to, and when I got older, I guess I never felt brave enough to try."

"Well, you can't get good seafood here," he told her. "Next time we get to travel out of state, I'll take you to some places I know where we can get the good stuff."

"Okay, you're on," she told him, beaming.

Their food arrived shortly thereafter, and they both tucked in to their plates, sharing bites occasionally and sipping the wine they'd ordered with dinner.

"You still planning to go up to Garden of the Gods this weekend?" he asked between bites.

"I think so," Cassie said.

"Want some company?" he asked hopefully.

"Love some," she assured him. "I was thinking Saturday."

"Okay," he said, nodding his head. "I'll come early. That way we can stop for breakfast and pick up some supplies."

"Sounds like fun," she said by way of confirmation.

They continued on with their dinners, both clearing their plates and finishing off the wine, which Daniel had pronounced exceptional. When they were done, he pushed his plate away and gave a satisfied sigh.

"That was great," he said.

"I can see why you like this place," she said. "Didn't you bring Vala here once?"

Daniel nodded. "Yeah, and she was promptly kidnapped from the ladies room."

"Not a good memory, I suppose," Cassie put in.

The waiter appeared and quietly took away the dirty dishes, asking as he went if they'd like dessert.

Cassie looked at Daniel with a slightly horrified expression at the thought of eating another bite. "Just coffee, I think," Daniel said, correctly interpreting her look.

"I think Antonia spoiled me," Cassie observed when the waiter had gone. "I can't seem to even think about eating anything but her Tiramisu."

"We'll have to go back for a visit," Daniel informed her. "I think Antonia really liked you."

"You haven't been back since we were there?"

Daniel shook his head. "I think I'd rather wait and go back with you."

"How sweet," Cassie said, smiling into his eyes.

Daniel picked up her hand and held it within his own, rubbing his thumb against her knuckles. He looked deep into her eyes, getting lost in their warm depths. He couldn't have imagined feeling this way about someone else just a few months ago, but here he was, sitting across from the most beautiful woman he knew, sharing comfortable companionship and good conversation. He was pleased beyond words that he'd decided to take this chance, and he wanted Cassie to know it.

"I think I'm already falling for you," he said in a low voice.

"What happened to taking it slow?" she joked in an equally low tone, searching his face for any trace of doubt.

"This is slow for me," he told her. "I knew I loved Sha're the moment I met her." Cassie's eyes went wide at the mention of his wife. "It's okay to talk about her, you know," he reassured her.

"You don't mind?" she asked in a timid voice.

"No," Daniel said confidently. "She was my family, but you're my family too, and I don't ever want you to feel there's something we can't talk about."

Cassie reached over with her free hand and caressed his face, leaning in to brush her lips against the smooth skin of his other cheek. Pulling back, she met his gaze. "Thanks, Daniel."

"For what?" he asked, confusion knitting his brow.

"For being so open. For being here. For being you."

Daniel relaxed and gave her a radiant smile. "You're welcome."

~o~

Doctor Carolyn Lam walked through the restaurant, glancing at the tables she passed as she made her way back from the ladies room. One couple in particular stood out to her, and she smiled as she realized who it was. She was glad to see Daniel happy, and surprised but pleased that he seemed so taken with Cassie. A small smile bloomed on her face as she reached her own table and joined her dinner companion.

"What's that smile for?" Cameron Mitchell asked as she set about pouring cream into her coffee.

"I think Daniel Jackson has a girlfriend," Carolyn observed, giving Cam a sly look.

"What gave you that idea? Jackson never leaves his office," Cam pointed out. "At least not that I know of, anyway."

"I just saw him getting cozy with someone," she informed him, careful to keep her knowledge of his companion a secret.

"Where?" Cam popped his head up, craning to catch a glimpse of Daniel and the mystery girl.

"Don't look," she admonished him, slapping him gently on the back of his hand for emphasis.

"Then why'd you tell me?" he complained, returning his attention to the coffee in front of him.

"I'm wondering that myself," she said, rolling her eyes.

Cam wagged his eyebrows. "It's cuz you love me. You know you do."

Carolyn rolled her eyes again. "Lord knows why," she confirmed.

"It's cuz I'm superfly," Cam supplied, and smiled winningly as he leaned closer, nuzzling her ear briefly as he placed an arm across the back of her chair.

Carolyn merely laughed and leaned over to peck him on the cheek. In the six months they'd been seeing each other, she'd never had a dull moment. Seeing what her father's career had done to his marriage and to her mother hadn't left her with a good feeling about dating a military man, let alone ever marrying one. But Cam was different. He was military through and through, but he knew the value of living life. His experiences since joining the Stargate Program, first as an X-302 pilot, and later as leader of SG-1 had given him a new perspective. It was that more than anything that had led to her saying yes when he'd asked her out the first time.

As Carolyn started in on her dessert, Cam thought about the idea of Jackson having a girlfriend. The man never left the mountain, which made it difficult to meet someone, which meant that whoever the girl was it was very likely she worked at the SGC. But that could be anybody, and Cam was never good at games like that. Hell, he'd been shocked when Carolyn had agreed to a date with him. And shocked even further when she'd said yes to a second one. Six months later and he was thanking his lucky stars that he hadn't screwed up yet.

Cam glanced around once more and caught sight of Daniel making his way out of the restaurant. The angle he was seated at meant that he couldn't get a clear look at the woman he was with. But it was definitely a woman. Legs that went all the way to the floor were hard to miss. He gave a low whistle.

"She must be a looker," he observed.

Carolyn smacked him in the chest. "Be nice."

Cam smiled. "Don't worry, darlin'. You're the only gal for me," he drawled.

"Cute," she smirked.

"Can't wait to find out who she is," he said, curiosity in his voice.

"Oh, don't go bugging him about it," Carolyn begged.

"Why not?"

"Because, if he'd wanted you to know about it, don't you think he'd have already said something?" she explained.

Cam cocked his head to one side in thought. "I suppose. But this is what guys do. Give each other a bad time about stuff. Especially stuff related to women."

"Still, I think you should wait until he says something," Carolyn insisted.

Something in her tone made Cam pause. "You mean because of his wife, don't you?"

Carolyn nodded. He wasn't as dense as he looked. "He might be a little sensitive about it, if he hasn't mentioned it to you."

"Point taken," Cam acquiesced.

"Thank you," Carolyn said.

"My dad taught me a long time ago that it's best to listen to your better half."

"I'm so glad you realize who the better half is," she returned, a teasing smile on her face, enjoying their back-and-forth banter.

Cam was still chuckling as he paid the bill and they took their leave of the restaurant.

...continued...


	10. Transitions and Observations

~o~

Over the next several weeks, Daniel and Cassie spent most of their time together, when they weren't at work or out on missions. Their day trip to the Garden of the Gods was just the beginning. Most nights, when they were on world, they would have dinner together, either at one of their homes, or out if they felt up to it. They watched Daniel's favorite classic, and even Cassie had to admit it was wonderful. And Daniel was pleased to find out that when Cassie said she liked Classic Rock, she really was talking about classics like The Who and Creedence Clearwater Revival.

They grew closer with each day, and Daniel was the happiest he could ever remember. And surprisingly, no one on base, besides those very few who knew, noticed that they seemed closer to each other at the end of the summer than they had at the beginning.

It was early in September when Daniel suggested they really should go back to Lucca's for dinner. So, one Saturday night after a day spent cleaning out Daniel's home office, they headed down to the restaurant.

Immediately on entering, they heard a loud, enthusiastic voice from the back. "My Daniel," Antonia called as she hurried up from the rear. The restaurant was packed, so all heads turned when they heard the exclamation, looking to see who had provoked such a response from Antonia. She arrived in front of them, breathless, and proclaimed, "And he has brought his Cassandra with him."

She reached up and pecked Daniel on both cheeks before turning to Cassie and doing the same. "Is a busy night," she told them with a wag of her finger, "but I have just the place for you."

Turning to the back, she made her way to the last booth, expecting them to follow. Extending her hand, she indicated that they should take a seat. "It is the family table, but you are family, no?" she said with a wink.

"Molto grazie, Antonia," Daniel said, pecking her on the cheek once more before settling himself in across from Cassie.

"Now, how about spaghetti with meatball tonight, eh?" she asked. "It is my mother's recipe."

Daniel looked to Cassie for confirmation. At her nod, he turned to Antonia and gave his approval. "Sounds good to us."

Antonia nodded and bustled off to the kitchen to place the order.

"Spaghetti with meatball?" Cassie asked, perplexed. "Only one?"

Daniel nodded. "Only one," he confirmed. "But it's huge. I think her mother must have been a giant."

Cassie and Daniel shared a laugh. Antonia reappeared then and poured them both a glass of red wine, giving the couple a warm smile before she left.

"So, tomorrow afternoon Colonel Trask is having the team over for a bar-b-que," Cassie said.

Since they'd been seeing each other, they had each gone alone to their team functions, since they were still keen to keep their relationship off the base grapevine. And by some miracle that neither could explain, SG-1 hadn't had a 'family' night that would include Cassie since returning from the Odyssey. But if Cassie wanted him to go with her to Colonel Trask's house, Daniel would say yes in a heartbeat. "You going to go?" he wanted to know.

"Yeah," she said, nodding. "It's a teambuilding thing, I think. We haven't had much time for that this summer."

"Do you want me to go with you?"

Cassie smiled and reached across the table to squeeze his hand. "Thanks for offering, but no spouses or significant others allowed this time. His wife is visiting her family with the kids, so he thought this would be a good time to do it."

"We used to do a lot of those when Jack was around," Daniel confirmed. "Of course none of us had a life outside work, so it was easy."

"And now that you have a life?" she asked.

Daniel squeezed her hand right back and gave her an appraising look. He wouldn't trade this for anything, and she knew it, but he could still have some fun. "Tough choice. Dinner with you or poker and beer with the guys."

"Two of those guys are women, Daniel," she admonished him, knowing what he was up to. "Besides," she gave him an impish smile, "I'm better looking."

"You got me there," he agreed, chuckling at being caught out.

Just then, Antonia returned with two plates heaped with spaghetti and a huge meatball in the center of each. "Mangia," she told them with a smile before hurrying back to the kitchen.

Cassie looked at her heaping plate of food and then at Daniel. "Where does she think I'm going to put all this?"

"I don't know, but you'd better get started. You don't want to insult her mother's meatball."

Cassie laughed as they both dove in, exclaiming at the wonderful flavor of the dish. A short time later Antonia returned to join them, squeezing into the booth next to Daniel. Shaking her head, she patted at her hair and huffed like she was out of breath.

"I do not know about that man," she said, frustration in her voice. "He always put too much Oregano in the Marinara."

Daniel looked at his half-gone spaghetti and shrugged. "Tastes good to me," he said.

"I am glad you think so," she replied, patting his free hand. "At least he has not ruin the sauce yet tonight."

Cassie nearly choked on her bite trying to stifle her laughter. Daniel looked amused, while Antonia looked on with concern.

"Sorry," Cassie apologized. "Almost swallowed down the wrong pipe."

Antonia took her explanation at face value and smiled at her. "I think there is some romance in the air," she observed, casting a sly glance at each of them.

Cassie beamed at Daniel, but kept silent, letting him field that one. "Yeah, we've been seeing each other for a while now," Daniel said, keeping the details to a minimum.

"Good," Antonia said. "You need a little romance, I think." It was Daniel's turn to choke. Antonia went on as if nothing had happened. "You know, my Giuseppe is nearly fifteen years older than me. It was common, in Napoli, to marry young," she told them, a wistful look crossing her face. "We have forty years of happiness now."

"Forty years?" Cassie said in awe.

Antonia nodded. "And I think he tries to drive me crazy for each one." She chuckled and smiled. "But the years have been good. I think you will have many good years too," she informed them, again giving them that sly look.

"We're not engaged, Antonia," Cassie said, rushing to make sure she didn't misunderstand. She didn't want Daniel feeling uncomfortable, though from the smile on is face, she thought he looked quite content.

"You will be," she said, patting Daniel's hand once more before levering herself out of the booth. "If I know my Daniel, he won't let you go." She winked at Cassie and smiled at Daniel before marching back to the kitchen, yelling something at her husband in Italian as she went.

"She's right, you know," Daniel said, drawing Cassie's attention back to him.

"Right about what?"

"I don't plan on letting you go," he said matter-of-factly. "Now that I've gone from being Uncle Danny to 'your Daniel', I find I like it."

Cassie blushed to the roots of her hair, pleased beyond words. "I'm glad," was all she could say.

Daniel reached across the table and took her hand, squeezing it for reassurance before letting go. He'd fallen head-over-heels in love with this girl, and he couldn't be happier.

~o~

Daniel Jackson sat on the gurney in the infirmary Monday morning waiting for the doctor to give him his pre-mission exam. They were meeting with some Tok'ra operatives to share intelligence on the Ori. Daniel was looking forward to hearing what the Tok'ra had learned. He was also hoping to question them further on Ba'al's movements, since he'd dropped out of sight after they'd stopped him from taking Adria as a host.

"Okay, Daniel, you're up," Carolyn Lam announced as she approached his bed and pulled the curtain closed. Reaching to pull her stethoscope from around her neck, she set his chart on the bed and set about beginning her exam. "So, how are things with you and Cassie?" she asked as she listened to his heartbeat.

Daniel's head shot up from where he'd been watching her work, bewilderment all over his face. "What…?"

Carolyn smiled. "I saw you two at Stonewall's a while back."

"Things are fine," Daniel said carefully. He didn't know who of his team might still be hanging around, and since he hadn't told any of them about him and Cassie, he was more than a little concerned.

"Don't worry," she said reassuringly, reading his expression, "you're the last one. Everyone else has finished up and left."

"Ah. Things are fine," he repeated, relaxing some. A smile bloomed on his face at the thought of Cassie, and he was helpless to stop it.

"Looks like better than fine to me," Carolyn supplied, moving to check his pulse.

Daniel relaxed some more. "I'm happy," he said. "For the first time in a long time, I can truly say I'm happy."

"I can see that for myself," Carolyn said as she finished up her exam.

Daniel blushed slightly. "Would you believe that was only our third date?"

Carolyn gave him a sly glance as she made notes on his chart. "As cozy as you two were, I'd have thought you were newlyweds."

Daniel's smile grew. "Not yet, Carolyn."

Setting his chart aside, she put her pen into the pocket of her coat and reached to touch his arm. "I'm happy for you, Daniel."

"Me too," came his reply. He hopped off the gurney, pushed aside the curtain and practically skipped out of the infirmary to report for his MRI.

Carolyn smiled and shook her head as she watched him leave, amused at the sight. Daniel was as giddy as a schoolboy. She wondered briefly if that's what Cam had looked like when they'd first started dating. She shook her head again as she reached for Daniel's chart.

"It is gratifying to see Daniel Jackson so content," Teal'c spoke from behind her.

Carolyn turned around, surprised at both his comment, and his presence. "You know about the two of them?"

Teal'c bowed his head slightly. He'd been the last one to finish his exam, and was still dressing when Carolyn had approached Daniel. He hadn't meant to listen in, but since they were mere feet from him, he couldn't avoid it.

"Daniel Jackson came to me for advice when he became aware of Cassandra Frasier's feelings towards him," he explained. "I encouraged him to pursue this relationship."

"Then you've done a good thing, Teal'c," Carolyn said, approval in her tone. "I haven't known him long, but this is the happiest I've ever seen him." Carolyn paused, contemplating Daniels' words. "It sounds pretty serious with those two," she observed.

"Indeed," Teal'c agreed. "It is as you humans say: Love can achieve any goal."

Carolyn frowned as she tried to place that particular phrase. Her face cleared as she realized what he meant. "Love conquers all," she nodded in agreement. "In this case, I think you're right."

Teal'c executed a slight bow and then strode out of the room, leaving Carolyn standing there, contemplating the nature of love, and how such a complicated emotion could really be so simple. It had been that way with her and Cam, and she suspected the same was true for Daniel and Cassie. She turned towards her office, humming as she went off to enter SG-1's exam data into the system.

...continued...


	11. Moment of Truth

~o~

Cassie sat wrapped in Daniel's arms Saturday evening, a fire crackling in the hearth to ward off the chill of early fall. They had shared a late dinner, and were now curled up on the floor in her living room, leaning against the ottoman, enjoying a quiet evening. An open bottle of wine and two partially filled glasses sat by while soft jazz floated in the air.

Cassie reached for her glass and took a sip of rich red wine. "Mmmm," she purred as the ruby liquid slid down her throat and warmed her from the inside. "Now this is how you spend a Saturday night."

Daniel regarded her speculatively. "Not interested in going out with your friends?" The question was meant to sound offhanded, but Daniel still wondered sometimes if Cassie felt like she was missing out on things because her boyfriend, for lack of a better word, was too old to want to do them. He'd fallen hard and fast for her, which surprised him a great deal. He'd thought it would be harder to open himself up after so many years, but apparently he just hadn't met the right girl. And now that he'd found her, he wanted to do everything he could to make her happy.

"I've never been much for the nightclub scene," she told him, putting her glass aside and glancing up at him, catching the speculative look on his face. "Besides, I was always too busy studying to go in for that sort of thing. You don't graduate from the Air Force Academy by partying all night."

"Good point," he said, pulling her close and kissing her on top of her head. "I just don't want you to feel you're missing out on things by spending time with me."

"Considering that most night clubs are just meat markets anyway, I don't think I'm missing out on much," she said with distaste. "I've got everything I want right here," she assured him, snuggling in closer. When Daniel didn't relax into her, she sat up and gave him a concerned look. "What's this about, Daniel?"

"Relax," he told her, reaching out to caress her cheek. "I'm not having doubts or second thoughts. I just want to make sure you're happy with the way things are."

"I'm more than happy with the way things are," she assured him. "I enjoy spending time with you. A nightclub would just be a waste of time. You can't even hear yourself think. Besides," she said, leaning in to drop a slow, sensual kiss on his lips, "if I was at a nightclub, I couldn't do this."

When she pulled back, Daniel had the same disoriented look on his face he'd been sporting the night they went to dinner at Stonewall's, when she'd worn that little black dress. She gave a small smirk at the evidence of her success. Apparently, she hadn't lost her touch.

Daniel reached up with his other hand to frame her face, looking deep into her eyes. "I love you," he said, low and confident.

His words hit Cassie like a ten ton anvil, sending ripples of shocked pleasure through her system. "Oh, Daniel," she whispered, dropping a hand to his chest to brace herself as she leaned in for another kiss.

When they pulled apart, Cassie's head was still buzzing. She searched his eyes, looking for any doubts, any concern, and only found love looking back at her. "I've loved you for a long time," she whispered.

"I know," Daniel said, smiling. "I'm sorry it took me so long to catch up."

"You didn't take so long," she assured him. "You're right on time."

Daniel's smile grew at her words, and he tugged her down to sit in his lap, kissing her long and deep. Lips clashed and tongues tangled as their passion escalated to new heights. When they could no longer think or breathe, they pulled apart, gasping for air and clinging to each other, hearts beating wildly at the sensations flowing through them both.

When their breathing had evened out and their hearts had returned to normal, Daniel looked at Cassie and smiled. "I told you I was playing for keeps," he said.

"And I told you I know what I want," she reminded him.

Daniel touched his lips to hers in a soft, lingering kiss. Pulling back, he sighed. "Somebody's gonna hafta tell Sam," he said.

"And Jack," Cassie put in, cringing slightly.

"Yeah," Daniel said, his face mirroring her distaste at that idea. They both knew that of the two, Jack would be the one to object the loudest.

"I'll invite her over for dinner," Cassie offered, thinking to tackle the easier of the two first.

"We don't have any missions scheduled this week, so that should work."

"What about Jack?" she asked. She caught her lower lip between her teeth, chewing worriedly as she wondered how to even go about telling him.

"Ask Sam when you talk to her," Daniel advised. "Because as tempting as it is to do it over the phone, it'd probably be better in person. I just don't know when he'll be in town next, and I don't want to wait too long. Once a secret's out, word travels fast."

"That's what I'm afraid of."

"Come on," Daniel said abruptly, urging her to get to her feet. At her curious frown, he clarified. "As romantic as it is sitting in front of the fireplace, I'm afraid your 'old man' can't take much more."

Cassie laughed. "You're not old," she assured him, "just well preserved."

Daniel pulled her to him and tickled her ribs, causing her to shriek with laughter. When he felt he'd tortured her enough, he circled his arms around her and pulled her close, kissing her once more, slow and passionate.

Pulling back, he looked into her eyes and saw love shining there, all for him. "I really do love you," he said.

"And I love you back," she replied, reveling in the wealth of emotions pouring out of him at that moment.

Daniel captured her lips in another kiss, becoming lost once more in the feel, the taste, all that was Cassie, and in the joy her words brought to his soul.

~o~

"I really like what you've done with the house," Sam Carter told Cassie later that week, as she settled herself at the short end of the sofa. "It hardly looks like the same place."

"Thanks," Cassie beamed, sitting next to her so they wouldn't have to yell across the room. "I'm not done yet, but I can't decide what to do next."

They had eaten a leisurely dinner and were now settling in with coffee for a good, long chat.

"Have you thought about redoing the master bedroom?" Sam wanted to know. Cassie had moved into the master bedroom when she'd come back to the house, and had bought a new bed but had otherwise left the room much as it had been when her mother had been alive. Sam thought maybe the time had come for Cassie to add her personality to the room.

"Yeah, I thought about it," Cassie confirmed. "I guess I just don't have any idea what to do with it. The kitchen was easy: I hated that color from the beginning, so anything was better than that." She paused, sipping at her coffee and thinking about her bedroom. "The room's not horrible, so I guess I just decided to live with it."

"Tell you what," Sam offered. "I'll pick up some magazines and we'll see if you find anything you like. That'll at least give us a place to start."

Cassie smiled. "Sounds good to me," she said. "I guess I just ran out of ideas. It'll be good to have someone else to bounce stuff off of."

"I think I can come up with some things you might like," Sam said.

"You moonlighting as a designer now?"

Sam laughed. "People complained that my last place looked like it came straight out of a Pottery Barn catalog, so when I moved back I made sure to personalize a bit more. I don't hear any complaints, so I must be doing something right."

"It helps that Jack has decent taste to begin with," Cassie said with a knowing look. "You didn't have to do much."

"Good point," Sam said, giving a grin at having been caught out. When she'd returned from Area 51, instead of renting another place she'd opted to move into Jack's house. He'd hung onto it after he'd moved to Washington, and they had decided it would be more practical if she just lived there instead of maintaining two homes since they spent all their downtime together anyway. "Besides, I've always loved that house just as it is."

"You mean dirty socks on the floor and empty beer bottles covering every surface?"

"Hey," Sam cried indignantly, "I clean house."

Cassie smiled knowingly. "It helps that he doesn't live there full time anymore."

"That too," Sam agreed on a chuckle. Eager to change the subject, Sam gave Cassie a knowing look. "I notice you've been running around with a big grin on your face lately."

Sam had taken endless ribbing from everyone when she'd returned from Area 51 seeming uncontrollably happy. She'd noticed the same attitude shift in Cassie over the summer, and was curious as to what had brought it about. As if on cue, Cassie's face broke with that same stupid grin.

"Something's going on," Sam said, smiling in reaction to Cassie. Voicing a suspicion she'd been holding onto she asked, "You're seeing someone, aren't you?"

Cassie's smile deepened, and a blush crept across her face. Knowing she had planned to tell Sam that night anyway didn't diminish her embarrassment at being so obvious. "Maybe," she hedged, trying to stall as long as possible.

"You are seeing someone!" Sam exclaimed, excitement taking hold. "Who is he? What's his name?"

"It's Daniel," Cassie said, hugging her coffee mug close and sipping from it, watching for Sam's reaction over the rim.

Sam sat back, a pensive look on her face. "What a coincidence," she said, her mind rifling through all the SGC personnel she knew, looking for another Daniel. When she came up empty, she asked, "Do I know him?"

Cassie nodded. "It's Daniel," she said again. When Sam didn't respond, Cassie clarified. "Daniel Jackson."

Sam sat silently staring at her, shock causing her brain to execute a swift shutdown and reboot. "But…" she sputtered, unable to form a coherent sentence. "Our Daniel?" she finally asked, when she'd regained the ability to speak.

Cassie nodded solemnly. "Our Daniel," she confirmed.

"But he's—," Sam started to protest, only to be interrupted by Cassie.

"He's older than me," Cassie finished for her. "Quite a bit older than me, I know, but Jack is quite a bit older than you," she observed, setting aside her coffee and leaning forward to focus on Sam.

Sam sat back, shock still robbing her of most of her abilities. Of all the people Cassie could have announced she was seeing, Daniel hadn't even been on the list, and she couldn't be more shocked. Well, that's not true, she thought to herself. If it had been Teal'c, she'd be dead on the floor of a heart attack. Still, though, she knew she should say something, offer some objection. Except that Cassie's comment about Jack was so right on that she really didn't have a leg to stand on.

"How long have you two been seeing each other?" she asked instead, setting aside her coffee cup for fear of dropping it.

"A while," Cassie hedged. At Sam's stern look, she 'fessed up. "A couple of months."

"A couple of months!" Sam nearly shrieked. "And you didn't tell anyone?"

Cassie cringed. She'd imagined this moment going badly, and the fact that Sam was still sitting on the couch instead of running out the door was promising, but she knew she had a long way to go to convince her that this was for real.

"Daniel asked me to keep it quiet, and I agreed," she told her honestly.

"What's he afraid of?" Sam questioned her, knowing even as she asked the question what the answer would be.

"Daniel isn't ashamed of this, and neither am I," Cassie began. "But this is the first time he's been involved with someone since Sha're died. He wanted to make sure we were on solid ground with each other before we went public."

Cassie's expression begged Sam to understand, and she did. Knowing Daniel as well as she did meant that she knew he hadn't taken this thing with Cassie lightly. He would have given it a great deal of thought, and probably lost some sleep over it too. What she couldn't understand was how these two had found their way to each other.

"Why him?" Sam asked, aware of Cassie's scrutiny.

"Why Daniel?" Cassie repeated and Sam nodded. She sat back and thought about how she'd gotten here. "I guess I've always had a little crush on him," she admitted. At Sam's surprised look, she went on. "He's smart, talented, compassionate. A million different things, but he's also just Daniel. He doesn't try to be what he's not. And he doesn't expect anyone else to pretend either. I can be myself with him—goofy, serious, madder than hell—and I like that. I like it a lot."

"Wow," was all Sam could say. Daniel did tend to bring out the best in people. It was his most endearing quality, in point of fact. Jack was like that with her: accepting her for who she was and always being there to help her become who she was meant to be. Understanding how much that would mean to Cassie, she asked the next logical question. "So how did all this start?"

"I kissed him," Cassie replied matter-of-factly.

Sam's surprised expression was comical. "You kissed him?"

Cassie nodded. "He would relax around me, and he'd seem so interested, but then he'd just shut down. Probably reminding himself I was too young. So I kissed him."

"You've got more guts than any ten marines I know," Sam said admiringly. She'd known Jack for over eight years before anything happened between them. And she hadn't been the one to initiate it, so she could see how Daniel might need some help. "So, then what happened?"

"He agonized for days over it," Cassie said. "I thought I'd really screwed up. But then he came to me and told me he was willing to give this a shot and we've been together ever since."

"You must have realized how difficult this would be for him," Sam observed.

"Yeah," Cassie confirmed on a nod. "I didn't expect him to jump in with both feet, but I did at least hope he'd be willing to try. And Sam," Cassie leaned in, excitement sparking in her eyes, "he's been amazing. We've gone all sorts of places, spent loads of time together, and he's been attentive and affectionate, really interested in me and building on us. It's better than even I could have imagined."

Sam smiled. Cassie's enthusiasm was catching. Both she and Daniel deserved to be this happy, and who was she to object? She knew Daniel, and knew he'd be gentle, and careful, and above all, honorable. He wasn't messing around with Cassie. By agonizing for days over whether to start this relationship, he was saying he wanted it to be serious, and not a fling. That in itself made Sam feel comfortable with the idea.

"I'm happy for you," Sam said sincerely, reaching out and taking Cassie's hand in hers. "I know I seemed shocked at first, and I was. But I can see you're really, truly happy." She squeezed Cassie's hand for emphasis. "This explains why Daniel is walking around with a stupid grin on his face all the time."

"He does?" Cassie seemed surprised.

Sam nodded emphatically. "Yup, he's definitely a goner," she confirmed.

Cassie sat back and smiled her own stupid smile. "Cool," she said.

Sam laughed outright at that. "So who else knows about this? Or am I the first?"

"Daniel says he talked to Teal'c about it, the day after I kissed him," Cassie said. "I guess he needed some perspective. And apparently Carolyn saw us together one night."

"She must not have told Cam, because I'd have heard about it by now," Sam speculated.

"I can't believe we've kept it quiet this long," Cassie said, disbelief in her tone. "I thought the campus grapevine at the Academy was bad, but the SGC makes that look like child's play."

Sam cringed. "Yeah, well, at least you didn't have a betting pool to contend with."

"Who won that, by the way?" Cassie asked, an innocent expression painted all over her face.

"You knew about that?" Sam asked, shocked.

Cassie nodded. "I placed a bet. So did Mom. That's how I found out about it, actually."

"Amazing," Sam said, shaking her head. "My own family betting on me."

"Your dad placed a bet, too," Cassie said, trying and failing to suppress a laugh at Sam's indignant expression. "Oh, come on. We all knew it would happen sooner or later. Even General Hammond had money on you."

"I know," Sam said, consternation in her voice. "He won."

Cassie laughed outright at that. "I guess he really did know you best," she said when her laughter had finally subsided.

Sam just shook her head, a good natured smile creeping out as she chuckled with Cassie. "Just you wait. When word gets out about you and Daniel, the betting will begin in earnest."

"Speaking of which," Cassie segued. "I did want to ask you one thing."

"How to go about telling Jack," Sam guessed.

Cassie nodded. "Daniel seems to think Jack will want to snap his neck for even thinking about getting involved with me."

"He's probably right," Sam agreed. "Jack can be a bit protective. Especially about you." Jack had looked on Cassie as a surrogate daughter, and had spent as much time with her as Sam had over the years, even doing the traditional Father/Daughter stuff.

"But I've grown up," Cassie complained. "Can't he see that?"

"He got a little teary at your graduation when he realized you weren't so much of a kid anymore," Sam said. "But that doesn't mean he wants proof you've grown up."

Cassie sighed. "So what do we do?"

Sam picked up her coffee mug and drained the last of the tepid liquid, considering the problem. "Jack's gonna be mad no matter how you tell him," she said as she set down the empty cup. "The best you can hope for is to show him you're serious and wait for him to come around."

"Do you think he will?"

"Eventually," Sam said, reassuringly. "But it's gonna take time, and you can't push him. He knows Daniel. He trusts Daniel. But this is gonna make him see both of you in a new light. It'll take some getting used to, for all of us."

"Great," Cassie said grumpily.

Pushing up off the couch, she smiled down at her young friend. "It'll be fine. You've got my support, and Teal'c's by the sound of it. Just hang in there," she said, squeezing Cassie's shoulder for reassurance. "Now, I'd better get going so you can call your man," she said on a wink. "He's probably pacing the floor worrying about you."

Cassie rose and looked carefully at Sam, searching for any hint of disapproval. "You're really not mad?"

"I'm really not mad," Sam repeated. She pulled Cassie into a huge hug. "I'm happy for you," she said, pulling back, "both of you."

She gave Cassie one more big hug and then took her leave. Cassie walked her to the door, still in shock at how well it had gone. She grabbed the phone off the side table, sank back down to the couch and quickly dialed Daniel's number.

"How'd it go?" were his first words.

"I'm fine, how are you?" Cassie said, sarcasm dripping from her words.

"Sorry," Daniel apologized. "I was just worried."

"I know," Cassie said, her smile coming through the phone line.

"So, was she mad?"

"Oddly enough, after her first outburst, she seemed okay with it," she explained.

"Really?" Daniel asked.

"Yeah," Cassie confirmed. "She even said she was happy for us."

"Really?" he asked again.

"Yes, Daniel. Really," Cassie said patiently. "I think she realized that we can't always help who we fall in love with."

"Jack," he put in, realizing that Sam had done the unthinkable once herself. "Did she give you any clue as to how to tell him?"

Cassie chuckled. "Not really, just that he'll eventually come around."

"Some help she turns out to be."

"Actually, having her support may make it easier to bring Jack around," Cassie said speculatively.

"Maybe, but we don't have to figure it all out tonight," Daniel said reassuringly. He knew Jack. The man could hold a grudge for a long time, and wasn't afraid to let you know it. They just had to hope that Sam was right. "Listen, it's late, and I know you're tired. Why don't you head off to bed, and we'll talk tomorrow. Coffee in the morning sound good to you?"

"Sounds perfect," she told him. "I'll meet you in your office at 0700. Love you."

Daniel smiled. This was his favorite part of saying goodbye. "Love you, too," he replied before hanging up.

...continued...


	12. Invitations

~o~

Daniel walked through the corridor, head bent over a folder, studying his notes for the briefing he was giving in a few minutes. SG-3 was headed out on a mission that afternoon, and General Landry had asked him to brief the team on the local people and their culture.

"Hey, Jackson," Cam called from an adjacent corridor as Daniel walked by.

Daniel stopped and waited for the other man to join him. "You coming tonight?" Cam asked when he'd caught up. The team had been talking all week about getting together for dinner, but specific plans had fallen to Cam.

"Ah, I might have plans, actually," Daniel said uncomfortably. He and Cassie had made tentative plans to see a movie, and he didn't want to bail out on her at the last minute.

"C'mon, Jackson," Cam urged, "it's Saturday night. You can't tell me you're going to spend your whole weekend holed up in your office. Live a little."

"No, I wasn't going to work tonight," Daniel said, exasperated.

Just then, Sam walked up. "Hey guys, what's up?"

"I'm tryin' to get Jackson to bail out of working tonight and come out with us," Cam told her.

"Actually, I'm supposed to be meeting someone later," Daniel said, hoping to be just vague enough to put Cam off but still seem like he had actual plans.

Sam gave Daniel a knowing look, to which Daniel blushed slightly. Cam caught the blush, and finally made the connection.

"You've got a date," he observed, a smile breaking on his face. "Bring her along. The more the merrier," he encouraged Daniel.

"I don't know," Daniel hedged. He and Cassie hadn't talked about this, and he wasn't sure he was ready for it.

Sam gave a devious smile. "Yeah, Daniel, bring her along."

"You don't mind?" he asked, frowning at her enthusiasm. He knew he was being taken for a ride, but if he showed any reaction, Cam might guess that she knew who Daniel's date was, and then he'd have some serious explaining to do.

"No, Daniel," she said brightly, knowing he was onto her but not caring, "I don't mind. None of us do."

"We'd all like to meet this mystery girl," Cam chimed in, completely oblivious to what was going on.

"Tell you what," Daniel offered, turning back to Cam. "I'll talk to her and see if she wants to join us. I'll call you later and let you know."

"Fair enough," Cam nodded approval. "O'Malley's. 1900 hours."

"Sounds good," Daniel confirmed. He glanced at his watch and noted the time. "I'd better get going. I'm briefing SG-3 in a few minutes."

As Daniel moved off down the hall, Cam watched him with a critical eye. "Think he'll bring her?" he asked Sam.

Sam tilted her head and pondered the question as she watched Daniel make his way down the corridor. "Maybe," she said, turning to look at Cam. "If they're ready to go public."

"They've already been public," Cam said, turning to walk the opposite direction, Sam following. At her frown, he added, "Carolyn and I saw them a while back at Stonewall's." He paused and amended his thought. "Actually, Carolyn saw them. I only saw Jackson. And a pair of legs. Nice."

"I meant—"

"I know what you meant," he chided Sam good naturedly. "He's just worried what we'll think of her."

Sam nodded. "Yeah. He doesn't need to."

"No, he doesn't," Cam confirmed. "Whoever it is, I'm sure we'll all love her."

Sam nodded her agreement, thinking as they made their way back to their respective offices that they all already did love her, so it wouldn't be a stretch for any of them. She smiled then, thinking of all the fun to be had when the rest of the team found out who Daniel's girlfriend really was. She was looking forward to this evening more by the minute.

~o~

"Hey, Cassie, I'm home," Daniel called out as he unlocked the front door and walked through. Cassie had given him the key to her house, reasoning that he spent most of his free time there anyway, so it made sense for him to be able to come and go as he pleased. He dropped is keys on the hall table and set his bag down on the floor, moving into the house to look for her.

"In here," she called out from the kitchen as Daniel walked through the house.

He slipped in behind her, snaking his arms around her waist and pulling her close, nuzzling into her neck, planting kisses on the sensitive skin she'd left exposed when she'd pulled her hair up in a clip. "Hi," he said between kisses. "I'm back."

Cassie chuckled and continued to knead the bread dough she was making. "I can see that. How'd the briefing go?"

"Fine," he said, still focused on her neck. "Colonel Reynolds hadn't been to this particular planet before, so he wanted to make sure they knew what they'd be dealing with."

"You seem rather pleased to be home," she teased.

Daniel sighed and pulled back slightly, resting his chin on her shoulder as he watched her work the dough. "I hate Saturday morning briefings," he said.

"You didn't used to," she pointed out.

"I didn't used to have a reason to stay home on Saturday morning," he said, giving her a gentle squeeze.

"Good answer," she said, smiling.

She reached for a towel and wiped her hands, then dropped it on top of the dough to protect it before turning in Daniel's arms. She slid her hands up across his shoulders to clasp behind his neck, tugging him down for a slow, sensual kiss. When she pulled back, she smiled at the slightly dazed expression Daniel was wearing.

"That make coming home worthwhile?" she asked.

"Definitely," he smiled down into her eyes. "Listen," he said, his expression turning serious, "the team is getting together tonight at O'Malley's."

"Are you going to go?" she wanted to know.

"That depends," he hedged. "Cam said I should bring you along, if you want." Cocking his head at her puzzled expression, he amended his statement. "When I told him I might have plans, he figured out that I have a girlfriend, and told me to bring her along. So he doesn't know who'd be coming, just that someone might."

"Are you ready for that?" she asked on a smile, reading the reticence in his eyes.

"Am I ready for Vala to know? Probably not," he said on a sigh. "She'll never stop pestering me once she finds out. But the rest of them? Yeah, it's time."

Cassie's hand drifted to his cheek, and caressed him softly before dropping a light kiss on his lips. "I'd love to go, if you really don't mind."

"It's time they know what's been going on," he told her, smiling into her brown eyes. "I want them all to know how happy you've made me."

"Oh, Daniel, that's so sweet."

"It's the truth," he told her. "A few months ago, if someone had told me that I would fall in love again, I'd have told them they were crazy. Now I can't imagine my life without you in it. You've given me hope for a future I didn't think I'd ever have again. Thank you just doesn't seem to cover it."

"You don't have to thank me, Daniel," Cassie admonished him. "I did it because I love you."

"I know," he assured her. "But still. If not for you, I'd still be without hope, without dreams, without love. And I do love you," he said, eyes sparkling behind his glasses, "more than I've ever loved anyone in my life."

"I love you, Daniel," Cassie said, tears welling up in her eyes. "And, you're welcome. Whatever it is I've done to make you happy, I promise to keep doing it."

"See that you do," he admonished her, a teasing glint in his eyes.

"Now," she said, tapping her hands on his shoulders, "I'd better get this dough into the oven or we won't have bread tomorrow."

"Yes, ma'am," Daniel responded, pulling out of her embrace and moving to the refrigerator to grab a bottle of water.

"What time are we meeting everyone?" she asked as she worked to get the dough into the pan.

"1900 hours," he said without thinking. It had become such habit to reckon time in military terms that he rarely gave it any thought anymore.

Cassie looked up at the clock on the wall. It read two PM. "Seven, huh?" she said, earning a nod from Daniel. "Should be plenty of time to bake this and get ready. Did you eat lunch?"

"Yeah, I grabbed something at the commissary on the way out," he told her, flipping through the pile of mail on the counter as she washed her hands and set the timer. Some of his mail had started to find its way to her house, too, making him chuckle just a little. It hadn't taken very long at all for their lives to become intertwined. It made his heart swell just a little, and caused him to look up and admire the way she moved as she set the bread to cooking and cleaned up the kitchen.

"What's that look for?" she said, spying his admiring gaze from the corner of her eye.

"Just admiring the view," he told her, setting aside his water bottle and leaning against the counter, propping his hands beside him.

"See something you like?" she asked coyly.

"See a lot I like," he replied in a low and sensual tone.

"Mmmm," she purred, coming to stand in front of him, "I like the sound of that."

"Do you now?" he said as he reached out and pulled her to him. He leaned in and kissed her, long and slow, taking his time exploring the soft, velvety feel of her mouth, giving as much pleasure as he received.

When he pulled back, Cassie smiled into his eyes. "Seven, huh?" she asked, tracing maddening circles with her fingers on the sensitive flesh at the back of his neck.

"Seven," he confirmed. "Why, what do you have in mind?" he asked, waggling his eyebrows suggestively.

"I was thinking," she drawled slowly, a teasing glint in her eyes, "that's plenty of time to hang that picture in the hallway."

"Hey!" Daniel sputtered before grabbing Cassie and tickling her senseless. Her shrieks of laughter could be heard all over the house.

...continued...


	13. Among Friends

~o~

Daniel pulled his car into the parking lot of O'Malley's just before seven and tucked it into the first available parking spot. He killed the ignition and turned to Cassie, a question in his eyes.

"Ready?"

Cassie smiled back. "Let's go," she said as she opened the car door and stepped out.

Daniel exited the car and waited for her to join him, placing a hand to her back as she walked in front of him and headed for the front door. Once inside, they paused as their eyes adjusted to the low light. Daniel scanned the room, looking for familiar faces.

"They're waiting in the bar," came a familiar voice. Daniel turned and saw one of their favorite waiters, Trevor, standing at the hostess station. "You two are the last to arrive," he told them with a smile. "We'll have your table ready in a minute or two."

"Thanks, Trevor," Daniel said, smiling as he put a hand to Cassie's back to guide her to the bar.

Cassie caught sight of Teal'c, towering over the crowd, and moved in his direction. He was standing back from the bar holding a glass of juice and listening to Vala go on about something, a patient but longsuffering expression on his face. Sam stood on his other side, leaning against the bar, a beer next to her, looking slightly amused. Carolyn stood beside her, back to the bar, with Cam leaning sideways against the counter on her left, playing with his own beer. Cassie smiled at the sight they made, glancing up to see a matching smile on Daniel's face.

"Here we go," he murmured to her, reaching down to clasp her hand in his own.

They reached the group, and Sam was the first to notice their arrival. "Hey guys," she said brightly, almost relieved at the interruption.

Cam, who had been the only one not facing them when they'd walked up, turned to see who'd joined them. He clearly hadn't been expecting what he saw, because his face registered mild shock as he took in their joined hands and blissful expressions.

"You…and Cassie?" he sputtered. Turning on Carolyn, he pointed his finger accusingly. "You knew, and you didn't tell me. Even when I told you this afternoon, you knew."

"Yeah, so?" came her sedate reply.

"Nothing," Cam said, totally deflated by her nonchalant attitude, "I'm just saying is all."

"Am I the last one to know about this?" Vala piped up from her place beside Teal'c.

"Apparently not, 'cuz I didn't know he was dating her either," Cam said, shrugging.

"But you knew he was dating someone," Vala accused. "Why am I always the last to know?"

"Perhaps it is because, once you learn a fact, you do not cease to speak of it until everyone in your acquaintance has the knowledge you possess," Teal'c offered sourly.

Vala's mouth dropped open at the accusation. "I never—," she began, but was cut off.

"Yes, you do," Teal'c intoned, another longsuffering expression crossing his face. "All the time."

"Well, I think they look cute together," Carolyn offered, trying to distract Vala before she opened her mouth again. "Don't you, Sam?"

"Oh, absolutely," Sam confirmed, laughing at the still shocked expression on Cam's face.

Daniel and Cassie traded amused glances at the verbal sparring going on in front of them. They seemed to have been totally left out of the conversation, something neither of them had missed. Daniel shrugged, and signaled to the barman for two beers while Cassie went and hugged Sam and Carolyn.

Cam shook his head to clear it, glancing at Daniel as he retrieved the beers he'd ordered. "It's no wonder you weren't too sure about bringing her," he finally said.

"Oh, we can leave, if you're still having problems," Daniel offered sardonically.

"No, no, it's okay," Cam rushed to assure him. "It's just, you and Cassie," he said, at a loss for words.

"Yeah, me and Cassie," Daniel confirmed, handing the glass of beer over to Cassie and giving her a winning smile, something Cam didn't fail to notice.

"How long has this been going on?" he asked. He looked back and forth from one to the other, and he could clearly see the affection written all over both of them. And for the life of him, he couldn't figure out how he could have missed it.

"Yes, Daniel," Vala piped up. "How long have you two been, you know," she said, suggestively, wagging her eyebrows for effect.

"We've been dating," and Daniel put the emphasis on 'dating', "for about three months."

"Ah," Vala said, giving him a clearly disbelieving look.

"I just don't get how we could have all missed it," Cam said, giving first Daniel, then Cassie a sly look. "I mean, it's not like we don't have eyes."

Daniel looked over at Cassie, who had landed between Sam and Teal'c. "Well, we haven't been advertising," he said, which was the truth. They'd agreed to keep it low-key, but even Daniel hadn't had faith that they could keep it quiet for this long.

"Come on, Jackson," Cam said, "you know how the grapevine works around here. Hell, everybody on base knew I'd asked Carolyn out five minutes after it happened."

"Hey, not five minutes," she objected.

"I believe it was two hours, twenty-three minutes," Teal'c stated. He'd overheard it while waiting for the 'gate to dial, from one of the 'gate technicians who was dating a nurse. "If you desired to keep your relationship a secret, you should not have asked her to accompany you while still in the infirmary."

"Yeah, Cam," Carolyn slapped him on the chest good-naturedly. "Word to the wise: the walls have ears."

"Which would be why I asked Cassie out after we'd left the base for the day," Daniel supplied helpfully.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Cam said, waiving him off. The others just laughed.

Just then, the hostess came over to let them know that their table was ready. They followed her deep into the restaurant, until she stopped at a round table near the back, not far from the pool tables and the jukebox and dance floor. They settled themselves in, with Daniel and Cassie finding themselves sandwiched between Teal'c and Carolyn. Vala took her seat next to Teal'c, and Cam and Sam took the remaining two.

They didn't even look at the menu, and when their waiter arrived, they ordered from memory, having a good laugh about spending so much time at O'Malley's that they had all memorized the menu.

"So, I want to know how all this got started," Carolyn said, looking pointedly at Daniel and Cassie.

Daniel looked to Cassie and shrugged. "You tell them," he said, smiling, sliding his arm across the back of her chair and settling back to watch the show.

Cassie chuckled, since she knew it was all her fault anyway. "I kissed him," she said matter-of-factly. Only Sam and Teal'c seemed not to be shocked by that admission.

"You kissed him?" Cam repeated, staring at her in disbelief. "And he didn't freak out?"

"Oh, he freaked out, all right," Cassie assured him. "The way I heard it, he didn't sleep for, what, four days?" she turned to Daniel for confirmation.

Daniel nodded and sipped from his beer. "Four days."

"Huh," Cam said. "But you decided to date her anyway, even though it freaked you out."

"She made a convincing argument," Daniel offered, smiling at the memory.

"Oh? What was that?" Carolyn wanted to know.

"She said we're both adults," he informed her.

"That was it?" Cam asked, disbelief in his tone.

"Well, she said it much more eloquently," he put in, winking at Cassie. "But, yeah, that was it. We're both adults, and if we wanted to do this, we could."

"So you're telling me that you two have been dating for three months?" Vala spoke up. She'd been totally silent since they'd been seated at the table, but now it seemed she'd finally begun to process what Daniel and Cassie were saying.

"Yep, that about sums it up," Cassie said, trying and failing to hide a smile.

"Well, I suppose a toast is in order, then," Vala said, lifting her martini glass off the table. The rest of the group followed suit, and waited for her to begin. "To new beginnings," she said, looking over at Daniel and giving him a wink.

Surprise registered on Daniel's face as he realized what she was referring to. She'd figured out what their conversation was all about, the one they'd had during his turn at watch on P6Y-509 over the summer. Vala smiled his way, over the top of her glass, and Daniel smiled his gratitude back.

"New beginnings," the group chorused as one, clinking glasses and then sipping their drinks as conversation moved on to other topics.

Daniel watched as his friends talked to each other about anything and nothing, amazed that him appearing with Cassie as his girlfriend really hadn't caused any stir at all. Teal'c had been right all those months ago. His friends—his family—would accept the situation because they loved both of them and wanted them both to be happy. He reached over and squeezed Cassie's hand where it lay on the table, more glad than ever that he'd decided to take a chance on her.

~o~

Conversation had flowed easily around the table as they ate dinner, and not once did anyone bring up work. Sam considered it a victory that their lives were becoming about more than just the SGC and the war with the Ori. And she was pleased no end at the way the rest of the team had embraced Daniel and Cassie's new relationship. It seemed that once the initial shock had worn off, each one of them had decided that they both seemed happy, and that was all that mattered.

Someone had started feeding quarters into the jukebox, and just then a slow song came up on the play list. Cassie tugged on Daniel's arm. "Dance with me," she requested, leaning in close so she could be heard over the noise.

Daniel smiled. "Sure." He led her out to the dance floor, where they were joined by a few other couples. Taking her into his arms, he sighed contentedly.

"You didn't tell me you could dance, Daniel," Cassie said as she was guided expertly around the small dance floor.

"No?" he asked coyly. "Well, part of being an academic is attending University fundraisers. I had to learn, or I'd keep crushing the toes of wealthy donors. They frown on that."

Cassie giggled. "I don't suppose they'd want to give money to someone who'd just broken all their toes," she agreed.

"You realize this is our first official dance," he murmured, enjoying the feel of her body as it swayed with his own.

"Not exactly swank surroundings," Cassie observed, "but it'll do."

Daniel smiled and pulled her closer.

Back at the table, the rest of the team watched as the new couple glided around the dance floor.

"They really do look good together, don't they," Carolyn said, slight wonder in her voice.

"Yeah," Sam agreed. "I hadn't seen them together before tonight, but it's amazing how well they seem to fit together."

"That's it, isn't it?" Carolyn said. "I wouldn't have given the idea a second thought, but seeing them together, it makes perfect sense."

Vala rolled her eyes. She really had taken a liking to Daniel when she'd first met him. He was tough but kind, but so not her type. Her type had changed, but so had her relationship with Daniel. And while she no longer had a crush on him, she still felt a little awkward around him. Not that she was going to tell anyone that. Instead, she observed, "I think that the person we are best suited to is sometimes the person we least expect. I suppose for Daniel, that was Cassie."

"Well said, Vala Mal Doran," Teal'c congratulated her.

Vala smiled and winked at him before turning her attention back to the discussion at hand.

"I think you might be on to something, there, Vala," Cam said thoughtfully. "I don't think, even a year ago, that I would have asked Carolyn out, and now look at where we are."

"Yes, well, I probably wouldn't have said yes, even if you had asked," Carolyn informed him, patting his cheek before dropping a kiss there.

"Ouch," Cam said. "Way to bruise the ego."

"You're right, though," Sam put in. "I've never been attracted to the right kind of man," she explained, "but when the right one finally dropped into my lap, I jumped at the chance."

"General O'Neill gave you lap dances?" Cam asked, feigning shock.

"Smack him for me," Sam requested, and Carolyn complied with a hand to the back of his head. She smiled her thanks and then turned back to watch Daniel and Cassie. "Here they come," she told the table at large.

Cassie and Daniel walked back to the table hand in hand, satisfied expressions on both their faces. Daniel took his seat, and Cassie bent down to whisper something in his ear before dropping a slow, sensual kiss on his lips and then turning to walk away. Daniel watched her leave, a dazed expression on his face.

"I remember that look," Sam said, leaning forward, a wide smile on her face.

"Huh?" was all Daniel could muster.

"The first day I met you, Sha're kissed you like that, and you had the same dazed look on your face," she informed him with a grin.

Daniel smiled, not just at the memory of his wife, but at the memory of the kiss Cassie had left him with just moments ago. "Yeah, amazing how I find the only two women in this galaxy that can do that to me, isn't it?"

Sam sat back, surprise and happiness welling up in equal parts. "Wow, Daniel, you've got it bad."

"That I do," he agreed immediately, his smile growing wider.

"Well, for the record, I think you two are good for each other," Carolyn pitched in.

"We're all happy for you, Daniel," Sam said, smiling across the table at him. "She's good for you. I haven't seen you smile this much since I've known you."

"I will be the first to admit that I have it good," Daniel said, sitting back in his chair, a satisfied grin on his face.

"That is good to know, Daniel Jackson," Teal'c said, speaking to his friend without turning his attention from the dance floor. "Because, were you to ever cause harm to Cassandra Frasier, I believe the line to exact revenge would form behind me."

Daniel blanched briefly, until he caught the smile playing at Teal'c's lips. "Got it," he confirmed with a nod, his laughter mixing with the others'.

"Here's to us, Daniel," Cam offered. "May we do right by our women," he finished, lifting his beer bottle to his lips and taking a long pull.

"Amen to that," Daniel said, lifting his own glass in tribute before draining the contents.

Cassie returned to the table then, sporting fresh lipstick and a twinkle in her eyes. "What were you all talking about just now?" She'd heard the laughter, and suspected they were teasing Daniel.

"Teal'c was just threatening to beat Daniel up if he ever hurt you," Cam said casually.

Cassie's head whipped around to look at Teal'c. "You didn't?" she pleaded.

"I did," Teal'c said solemnly.

"Oh, god," she said, dropping her head to the table. "Instead of one parent, I've got to have half a dozen," she moaned.

"Deal," Cam stated on a wink.

Cassie smiled, and turned her attention back to the group. The conversation once again was flowing around the table. Everyone seemed to be in a good mood, and it felt good to be part of the reason for that. She just hoped it would last. With the way their lives were going, change could happen at any moment. She shook her head and rejoined the conversation. She wasn't going to worry about that just then. Life was too short to dwell on what might happen. She was going to live in the here and now. After all, the here and now was pretty good.

...continued...


	14. Road Trip

~o~

"So, as far as you can tell, the Ori still don't know about our deception on P9C-882?" General Landry asked the group seated around the briefing table.

SG-1 had just returned from a mission to visit Thilana and her people to determine if the Ori had figured out that the village hadn't been destroyed as they were led to believe. Once the Ori had left orbit, Colonel Carter had shut down Arthur's Mantle, assuming that the Ori would have no reason to return to the planet. Now, six months later, they had returned to make sure.

"As far as we can tell, once they thought the village had been destroyed, they stopped caring," Daniel said.

"Good," Landry declared. "Let's hope it stays that way. I'll expect your reports on my desk by tomorrow." When the team made to get up and leave, the General stopped them with a raised hand. "One more thing," he told them. They retook their seats and waited. "Area 51 tells me they've got a working prototype of the Goa'uld slash Ori detector. They've requested you come out and have a look."

"We'll leave immediately," Mitchell nodded.

"Not so fast," Landry said, turning to SG-1's commander. "I need you and Vala to meet with our Tok'ra contact. They have some new information on Ba'al they'd like to share with us."

"Okay," Mitchell said, clearly not looking forward to spending a few days offworld with only Vala for company.

"The rest of you are to accompany Colonel Carter to Area 51 and assist with the tests," the General concluded.

"Actually, I think I'd like go with Colonel Mitchell; hear what the Tok'ra have to say," Daniel put in.

Landry shook his head. "Doctor Lam believes you may still have some markers in your blood from your time as a Prior," he informed the younger man. "They'd like to use you as the guinea pig for the tests."

"Great," Daniel mumbled, rolling his eyes at his luck.

"And take Lieutenant Frasier with you," Landry advised them as he stood and walked out of the room. "She's inspected the machine up close and might be able to help if there's a problem."

Daniel looked first at Sam and then at Teal'c. His gaze slid over to Vala and landed on Mitchell last of all. "Don't look at me," Cam said, raising his hands. "I'm not gonna tell him."

His gaze flicked back to Sam, who shrugged and smiled. "He's gotta find out sooner or later," she said.

Daniel hung his head briefly and then rose to follow the General into his office.

"I'm not going to change my mind, Doctor Jackson," Landry said as he settled behind his desk.

"Ah, that's not what I'm here about," Daniel said as he pulled the door closed behind him. Taking a seat in front of the General's desk, he folded his hands and pursed his lips, trying to decide where to begin.

"Spit it out, son," the General ordered, boring into Daniel with his gaze.

"Sir," he began, looking up to meet the older man's eyes. "Lieutenant Frasier and I have been seeing each other for a few months."

"Isn't she a little young for you?" Landry observed wryly.

"I tried that argument with her, sir," he said, a smile playing at his lips. "Didn't work."

"Ah," Landry said, his own smile echoing Daniel's. "And you're telling me this now because…?"

"Because you're sending the two of us to Area 51 together, and I thought you should know," Daniel said logically.

"Doctor Jackson," Landry began, "I don't much care what my people do on their own time. Just keep it professional when you're on duty." With that, he turned his attention to the paperwork covering his desk.

Daniel sat in shocked silence for a moment. "Uh, thank you, sir," he stammered out as he rose and made for the door.

"And Doctor Jackson?" Landry called out without looking up from the report he was reading.

"Yes, sir?"

"You take care of that young lady," Landry advised, a stern look on his face.

Daniel smiled. "Teal'c's already given me the lecture, sir," he informed the other man.

"Good," Landry confirmed, sneaking a glance up to catch Daniel's rueful grin. "Dismissed."

Daniel nodded and slipped out the door to find the rest of his team still hanging around the briefing room, waiting for him.

"You do not appear to be missing any parts, Daniel Jackson," Teal'c addressed him. "Was General Landry not angry?"

Daniel glanced at Mitchell, who had a slightly abashed grin on his face. Turning back to Teal'c, he explained the conversation he'd just had. "I told the General we've been seeing each other for a while. He asked if she wasn't a little young for me."

Sam burst out laughing, much to the surprise of everyone else in the room. When she could finally speak, she let the rest of them in on the joke. "He said the same thing to Jack."

Cam and Daniel looked at each other and burst out laughing, joining Sam who'd started back up again.

"I fail to see what's so funny," Vala said, pouting.

"Come on, you guys," Sam called out when she'd regained control of herself. "Let's go see when the next flight is."

Teal'c merely raised his eyebrow and turned to leave the room. The rest of them filed out behind him, Vala still trying to find out what was so funny.

~o~

"Did you see the look on that tech's face when you appeared out of nowhere?" Cassie asked, still laughing at the events of that afternoon.

They had been at it for the better part of two days, trying to get the scanner and transporter synced up, and finally felt as though they were making progress. At first, the computer code had been faulty, so Sam and a couple of the techs had had to rewrite several sections to make it work. Then, that morning, they'd almost blown a fuse. It had fallen to Cassie to climb into the back of the machine and figure out what had gone wrong.

As with all Asgard-based technology, it was taking them some time and trial and error to adapt it for their own uses. The trouble was in translating the Asgard designs into usable prototypes using the materials they had at their disposal. Sometimes the designs worked, sometimes they didn't.

They had performed several tests, at first transporting Daniel into the closet over his strenuous objections, just to make sure the technology actually worked. Then they'd set up a camera in the lab next door so they could monitor the room for Daniel's appearance. The only problem was that no one noticed that a tech had entered the lab from the opposite side. When Daniel appeared suddenly, he tossed the papers he'd been reading straight into the air and stumbled out of the room.

"You'd think that working at Area 51 would have desensitized him by now," Daniel observed, still slightly miffed at being the butt of the biggest joke of the day.

They were now back at the hotel, getting ready to go to dinner with Sam and Teal'c. Sam had dropped them off at the front door and gone to park the car, Teal'c opting to keep her company rather than join them, giving them a precious few moments of privacy, something that had been sorely lacking the last few days.

They were approaching their rooms, which were down the hall from each other in the fourth floor hallway, when Daniel made his move. Turning Cassie to him, he pinned her to the wall and kissed her long and hard.

"I've been wanting to do that for two days," he informed her when he'd finally come up for air.

"And this is professional behavior?" Cassie admonished him, reminding him of the General's words, though clearly not disapproving since she made no move to get away from him.

"You sure you don't want to sneak into my room tonight after curfew?" he asked, nuzzling her neck.

"Yeah, right," Cassie said, barely able to keep her focus due to Daniel's ministrations. "I'd get about two steps outside my room and Teal'c would be there, stern look, arms crossed. I so don't want to face that at two am."

"I could sneak into your room," he offered, clearly not ready to give up on the idea.

"I doubt you'd get any farther than I would," Cassie reminded him. "Teal'c sleeps even less than you do, remember?"

Daniel growled in frustration, but continued kissing and caressing Cassie's neck and face. "And when exactly are we leaving?"

"Day after tomorrow, if we're lucky," she informed him, feeling his frustration.

"Maybe we could just skip dinner," he suggested, holding her close as he nuzzled in her hair. "I'm sure Sam and Teal'c wouldn't mind."

"You are a desperate man," Cassie informed him, tugging his head down so she could kiss him in return.

...continued...


	15. Fallout

~o~

Major General Jack O'Neill tapped his room key against his hand as he watched the floors tick by on the elevator, thanking his lucky stars that he'd decided to call Cheyenne Mountain before jumping on the transport. If he hadn't, he wouldn't have found out that his team—for that's how he always thought of them—was out at Area 51, and would likely be there for another few days. He'd quickly hung up with General Landry and changed his flight so he would arrive in Nevada that afternoon. With any luck, they would be finishing up in the next day or so, and they could all travel together to Colorado.

The elevator dinged and slowed to a halt. Jack picked up his bag and waited for the doors to slide open. He'd checked with the guards at the gate on arriving in Nevada, and found that SG-1 had already left for the day, so he'd opted to head straight for the hotel in hopes of running into them. If he didn't, he could always call Sam's cell phone. It would ruin the surprise, but it would be worth it to see them again.

The elevator door slid back, and Jack strode into the hallway. He'd asked to be put in a room close to his friends, and as luck would have it, there was one room left on the fourth floor, at the end of the hallway. As he made his way down the hall, he spotted a young couple kissing passionately. He smirked and shook his head at their lack of restraint. There had been a time in his life, not so long ago if he owned the truth, that he would have been the one snogging in the hallway for all the world to see. Those days had passed, for the most part, and he was grateful. He was too old to be putting on such displays.

As he approached the couple, he began to recognize a familiar shape. A smile crossed his face as he realized who the man was. Deciding it would be fun to tease his friend, he called out to him in a loud voice.

"Daniel, you dog, let the poor woman come up for air!"

Daniel, who had been completely oblivious to his surroundings, nearly jumped out of his skin. He turned around to see who was calling his name, and blanched at the sight before him. He stepped in front of Cassie, trying to protect her from impending doom.

"Jack," he said, shock racing through him.

"Geez, Jack," Cassie called, stepping out from behind Daniel. "You just about scared us to death."

Jack's face registered momentary surprise, followed quickly by anger. Dropping his bag, he grabbed Daniel by the lapels of his uniform and slammed him none too gently into the wall.

"What do you think you're doing?" Jack ground out, his face turning purple with suppressed rage.

"Jack—,"Daniel stammered, but was cut off when Jack pulled back and slammed him against the wall again.

"She's just a kid," Jack pointed out, holding Daniel so that his toes barely touched the floor. "What do you think you're doing?"

Just then, the elevator dinged, and Sam and Teal'c emerged. They stopped in momentary surprise at the scene before them. Jack had Daniel pinned to the wall, his feet barely touching the carpet. Cassie was tugging at Jack's arm in a futile effort to get him to let go. It was clear that Jack was angry, and Sam wasted no time getting down the hall to break up the fight.

Teal'c followed, and between the two of them, they managed to pry Daniel loose from Jack's grip. Daniel stood panting, Cassie checking him over for any damage, occasionally glaring at Jack where he stood on the opposite side of the hall.

"Teal'c, take Jack into my room," Sam said, handing over her key. "And don't let him out until I say so," she added, giving Jack a glare of her own.

"Indeed," Teal'c said, eyebrow raised, before turning to Jack. Giving him his best 'First Prime' glare, he turned Jack towards the door behind him and, slipping the key into the lock, shoved him roughly through the open door.

Sam turned to Daniel, concern replacing her anger. "Are you okay?" she asked quietly, coming to stand before him, placing a hand on his arm in a gentle show of support.

Daniel shook his head, trying to reconcile what had just happened with the man he knew. He'd known Jack would be angry, but never in a million years did he think Jack would actually cause him bodily harm, despite what he'd told Teal'c.

"I'll be alright," he finally said, though his tone of voice wasn't convincing.

"I'll take him to my room," Cassie told Sam.

Sam nodded. Cassie would take care of Daniel. That left her to take care of Jack. Her anger surging to the fore, she turned and headed for her room.

"Don't cause too much damage," Cassie called out as Sam reached up to knock on the door.

Turning, she met her friend's gaze. "I promise you'll still be able to recognize him when I'm done," she said with a forced smile. "Mostly," she muttered to herself as she turned back and knocked on the door.

The door swung open, and Teal'c stood aside as Sam moved in to stand inside the door. She nodded at him as he stepped outside and closed the door, catching Daniel and Cassie disappear into her room as he did so. Deciding he wanted to be close by in case Colonel Carter needed him, he stationed himself outside the door, arms crossed, prepared for a long evening.

~o~

Sam stood just inside the door, letting her eyes adjust to the darkness in the room. No one had turned on the lights, so the only illumination in the room came from the window, where the drapes had been pulled back.

Jack stood, silent and stoic at the window, gazing out at nothing, waiting for Sam to say something. When she did, it was the last thing he expected to hear.

"What were you thinking?" she asked quietly.

Jack turned, surprised by her words. "'What was I thinking?'" he barked. "Funny, that's exactly what I asked Daniel."

Sam rubbed her forehead, trying to figure out how best to approach this. Deciding to go for brutally honest, she dove in. "You know, Jack," she began, heaving a sigh, "I love you, but you're an idiot."

"I'm an idiot?" he nearly shouted. "I'm not the one giving the tonsil exam to a kid!"

"She's not a kid anymore, Jack," Sam pointed out.

"She's a kid!" he insisted. "She's barely twenty, for cryin' out loud!"

"She's twenty-two," Sam said patiently. "In most places, that makes her an adult."

"And Daniel's forty!" Jack pointed out, stabbing the air with his finger. "Twice her age."

Sam decided not to point out that Daniel was actually forty-two. She didn't figure it would be constructive, given the circumstances. Instead, she tried a different tack. "And I suppose that makes the fifteen years between us a crime."

Jack opened his mouth to reply, then promptly closed it. He didn't have an answer for that one. He'd had his misgivings about starting a relationship with Sam, but none of them had involved age. So, if their ages weren't relevant, what was?

"Daniel's like an uncle to her," he offered instead. "It's not right."

"That's a lame excuse," Sam told him, shaking her head.

"You approve of this?" Jack asked, surprised. His words had sounded lame, even to his own ears, but he'd at least expected Sam to back him up. The fact that she wasn't surprised him even more.

"Do you honestly think Daniel will hurt her?" she asked, choosing to sidestep her actual approval in favor of convincing him of their sincerity.

Jack ran his hand through his hair, causing it to stand up on end. Did he think Daniel would hurt Cassie? No. It wasn't in Daniel's nature to cause harm to someone else, at least not intentionally. But that didn't make it right. Not that he could quite articulate what the real problem was.

"That's not the point," he said instead.

"Then what is the point, Jack?" Sam asked, exasperated. She stepped closer to him, hoping her presence would have a calming effect. "Cassie grew up when you weren't looking," she offered quietly. "I know that's hard to take, but it's true. And who would you rather she date? Some guy we know nothing about, or someone we know and trust explicitly?"

Jack looked down and squeezed his eyes shut. "Daniel hasn't dated anybody since Sha're," he said quietly. "I thought for a while he might start seeing Sarah, but I think he was still hung up on his wife." He took a deep breath and continued, looking up to find Sam studying him intently. "Vala tried to get him interested, but no dice. 'Course I don't blame him. She's annoying."

Sam gave a small chuckle at that. Vala had practically thrown herself at Daniel with no luck. They'd all thought it was because Daniel still hadn't gotten over his wife. But maybe that wasn't it at all.

"Daniel gave this a lot of thought before he decided to go ahead," she offered. "They didn't just dive in without thinking about how this would affect the future and their friends."

"They looked like a couple of horny teenagers a few minutes ago," Jack observed. He was calmer now, though no less disapproving.

"This is still new for them," Sam shot back. "Remember what we were like the first few months?"

Jack raised his eyebrow, giving Sam a look that caused her to blush. There had been more than a few embarrassing moments, and to own the truth, they were still prone to being caught in odd situations from time to time.

"Still, Cassie's young," Jack insisted. "She can't possibly know what she wants. And if Daniel starts to get cold feet, she's gonna get hurt."

"Then she'll get hurt," Sam said, cringing at how heartless she sounded just then. Sighing, she softened her tone. "We don't have to like it, Jack. She's not looking for our approval."

"But you approve, don't you?"

Sam nodded. "I approve." When Jack opened his mouth to argue, she put her hand up to stall him. "I approve because I've seen how happy they make each other. And because, after everything they've both been through, they deserve that happiness."

Jack sighed and slumped in defeat. "Doesn't mean I have to like it," he said.

Sam moved in and snaked her arms around his waist, pulling him close. "Nobody said you had to like it, or approve of it," she told him as he circled her with his arms. "Just give them a chance to show you."

"Fine," Jack said. "But I reserve the right to deck Daniel if he hurts her at all."

"Fair enough," Sam said, smiling up at him. "You should probably apologize for nearly killing him."

"I should, but I'm not going to," Jack said, defiance coloring his tone. "Let 'em worry. It'll be good for them."

"You are terrible," Sam admonished him, though she was smiling when she did. It would be entertaining to see how jumpy this made Daniel until he figured out Jack was all bark and no bite.

"But you love me anyway," Jack said, bending down to kiss Sam long and hard. "Hi," he said quietly, greeting her for the first time since he'd arrived.

"Hi," she returned. "We were just about to go to dinner. Care to join us?"

"You sure Cassie's not going to kill me?"

"She'll get over it," Sam said. "As long as you don't kill her boyfriend."

At the word 'boyfriend', Jack cringed. "That's gonna take some getting used to," he informed her. "Maybe we could skip dinner and go straight to dessert?" he asked, waggling his eyebrows for emphasis.

Sam chuckled. "I'm sure Daniel and Cassie wouldn't mind."

"On second thought," Jack rushed to say, "maybe dinner together wouldn't be such a bad idea after all. You go get the kids, I'll get changed."

Jack dropped a kiss on Sam's nose and picked up his bag from the bed as he hurried out of the room and past a seriously confused Teal'c.

Teal'c turned his questioning gaze on Sam, who was still chuckling. "Jack decided he'd rather not leave Cassie and Daniel alone together."

"Indeed," Teal'c replied. "I do not believe General Landry would approve either."

"Then I tell you what," Sam began. "You tell them we're all going to dinner together, and I'll get changed."

"As you wish," Teal'c intoned with a slight bow, moving off to do as she asked.

Sam turned back into her room and closed the door. What had started out as a fairly routine trip to Area 51 had suddenly become a whole lot more interesting.

...continued...


	16. All In

~o~

Three days later the team was back in Colorado. Sam and Cassie had finally gotten the transporter device working, though it had taken them longer than they'd expected, and had set the whole team on edge with frustration. Jack had taken the time to meet with the Area 51 brass to get status updates on the various projects underway, but he'd still managed to spend time with the team, both in the lab and after hours.

It was early on Tuesday, and Jack O'Neill sat in the commissary at SG-1's usual table, sipping coffee, reading a stack of reports spread out in front of him. In truth, he wasn't reading so much as thinking back over the three days he'd spent at Area 51 with the team. True to his word, he hadn't tried to kill Daniel, though he'd wanted to a time or two.

Instead, he'd watched as Daniel and Cassie interacted during dinner and over the course of the next three days. They had been playful and affectionate, if a bit subdued at dinner that night. If not for Sam's calming influence, he was fairly certain Daniel wouldn't have made it back to the hotel in one piece.

But it was during his visits to the labs that he really had his eyes opened. They behaved as consummate professionals at all times. Their interactions were cordial if not formal, without a hint of the passion Jack had witnessed in the hotel hallway. What amazed him the most was the way they worked so well together, anticipating each other's needs and sometimes even each other's thoughts. They would even finish each other's sentences on occasion.

As much as it pained Jack to admit it, they did seem to be good for each other. That thought didn't make him feel any better, however. But since he didn't have a leg to stand on, given his own relationship with a much younger woman, he'd wisely kept his mouth shut.

"Mind if I join you?" Daniel asked, breaking into Jack's thoughts. Since they'd arrived late the night before, he'd opted to sleep on base instead of trying to drive home. He hadn't slept well, and had come in search of an extra large dose of coffee to compensate. Seeing Jack alone in the commissary had been a surprise, but also a stroke of luck since he knew they really needed to talk, and sooner rather than later.

"Sit down," Jack invited, eying the other man critically.

An awkward silence passed between them as Jack continued to pretend to read reports, and Daniel sipped his coffee, waiting for an opening that seemed unlikely to arrive.

"You know, Jack, you're not fooling anyone," Daniel observed, finally breaking the silence.

"What?" Jack asked, confused.

"These reports," Daniel said, waving his hand at the pile of papers between them. "You're not actually reading them."

"It's what I came down here to do," Jack replied, an edge of indignation creeping into his tone.

"And when I came in, you were staring off into space. You've been reading the same page for ten minutes."

Jack dropped the report onto the table and sighed, scrubbing his hands over his face and up through his hair. "Yeah," he said, noncommittally.

"So, at the risk of opening a can of worms, what's going on?" Daniel asked.

"Just thinking," Jack hedged. He wasn't sure he was ready to talk to Daniel about the whole thing, but knowing his friend as he did, he figured it was asking too much for him to let it go.

"About me and Cassie," Daniel guessed, earning a grunt from Jack, who sighed and then opened his mouth to speak. Daniel raised his hand to forestall him. "Look, before you start, let me say something."

At Jack's nod, he continued. "I didn't just jump in with both feet, Jack. I gave this a lot of thought," Daniel began, taking a long sip of his coffee to help him compose his thoughts. "I've known for a while that it was time to move on. I can't mourn Sha're forever, and I don't want to. But the work we do, and the hours we keep make it hard to find someone. And then there was Cassie, offering me everything I wanted. We're both passionate people who care about the same things and have many of the same life experiences. It seemed like all of a sudden, things were falling into place in a way they hadn't before."

Daniel paused again, pondering that truth. He'd been ready, no doubt about it. But he'd also been scared to death, not something he was going to share with Jack. He glanced up and caught Jack's critical gaze and sighed. "I don't expect you to believe me when I tell you that I'm in love with her," he said, earning a shocked gasp from Jack.

Smiling a little, Daniel fished into the pocket of his utilities. He dropped a shiny object onto the table with a clatter. He'd been keeping it in his quarters on base because Cassie wasn't allowed in there. Jack's eyes followed it until it came to rest on his pile of reports. Reaching out, he scooped it up and turned it over in his hand to look at it carefully. It was the most beautiful, sparkly, diamond ring he'd ever seen, and he had no doubt in his mind what it was for.

"One of these days, Jack," Daniel went on as if nothing had happened, Jack's head popping up, eyes wide, "I'm going to come to you and ask your permission to marry her. And that day will come sooner rather than later, so you'd better be ready to say yes."

Daniel stood up then and plucked the ring out of Jack's fingers. "I'm all in with Cassie," he stated quietly. Tucking the ring back in his pocket, he turned and left the room, leaving a clearly shocked Jack O'Neill behind.

~o~

Hours later, Jack found himself wandering the corridors with no clear goal in mind. He was in between meetings and sick of the sight of the grey walls, but he didn't have time to go topside for some fresh air. Hoping that fresh scenery would do the trick, he'd bolted from the briefing room as soon as his last meeting had ended, Daniel's words from that morning still ringing in his head.

All in, Jack mused as he turned another corner on his trip to nowhere. He'd heard from Sam that the team had taken to playing poker on their down time, with the General even joining in on occasion, so it was no surprise that Daniel knew that term. What surprised him was his use of it. He'd said he was all in with Cassie. He was serious, in a way Jack hadn't known him to be since Sha're. Serious about Cassie.

It seemed that time had indeed moved on while Jack wasn't looking, as Sam had suggested. Cassie had most certainly grown up, graduated, and taken on her first real job. He'd known that Cassie had a bit of a crush on Daniel when she was younger. He could see it in her eyes and her smile. She'd practically worshipped him then, but he'd thought she had grown out of it. Maybe that childlike worship had grown into something bigger and more substantial instead.

That thought stopped Jack in his tracks, and he looked up to find himself standing in the corridor outside the SG-9 Ready Room. A small smile drifted across his face. Apparently, fate was trying to tell him something. Stepping into the room, he glanced around for signs of life. Seeing no one, he turned to leave.

"Looking for someone?" said a feminine voice to his right.

Jack stopped and backed up, finding Cassie standing at a filing cabinet behind the door. She had an open folder in her hand and a slightly amused grin on her face.

Jack shrugged and tried to look nonchalant. "Just wandering the halls between meetings."

"Ah," Cassie said, giving him a knowing look. Closing the file drawer with a flick of her hip, she moved to her desk with the folder, dropping it on a stack of papers. Turning to face Jack, she leaned against the front of her desk and adopted an open expression. "So, what's up?"

Jack shoved his hands deep into the pockets of his green utilities and rocked back on his heels. "Nothing," he insisted. "Just wandering the halls." Cassie crossed her arms over her chest and gave him a disbelieving look. "Okay," he said, raising his hands in surrender, "maybe I did have an ulterior motive for wandering this way."

"I thought so," Cassie nodded, pushing herself up to plop in the chair next to her.

"Jeez, you're just like your mother," he said, following suit and heaving a big sigh.

"Thank you," she said pertly. "Now, what's up?"

"I was just thinking about you and Daniel," Jack said, getting right to the point and earning a surprised look from Cassie.

"What about me and Daniel?"

"I know you've had a crush on him since you were a kid," Jack said, catching the embarrassed blush that bloomed on her face.

"I didn't think anyone knew that," she said, reaching up to feel the heat in her cheeks.

"Kinda hard to miss," he observed. "You used to sit next to him and just stare, listening to every word he said like it was gospel."

Cassie's blush only deepened. She moved her hands over her face to hide it from him. "How embarrassing."

Jack just chuckled. This was turning out to be fun. Stretching out and leaning back in his chair, he hooked his hands behind his head and grinned. "It was like watching a puppy dog follow her boy around."

"Ouch," Cassie said, allowing her hands to drop into her lap. "I didn't think I was that bad."

Jack sat up and eyed her critically. "Well, maybe not that bad," he allowed. "But still…" he trailed off.

"Kinda hard to miss," she echoed his words, shaking her head at herself.

"Why him?" Jack asked, out of the blue.

"You mean now or back then?"

"Both," Jack rejoined. "Either."

Cassie sighed and leaned back a little. "I guess I looked at you and Sam as sort of my parents, even though I had Mom. Daniel was like a favorite uncle. He always had time for me, and never treated me like a kid. He took the time to explain stuff, and the stories he told were always exciting." She paused here, debating whether or not to tell it all. In the end, she decided there was no point holding back. "And he had such kind eyes. I liked his eyes."

Jack thought that over for a minute. Daniel had always been attentive with Cassie, never treating her like the kid she was. "And now?"

"Now, I see the man I used to worship for who he is: kind, generous, passionate, intelligent. All the things he was when I was a kid, only now I understand what those things are, and taken together, they form the man I love. And he still has the kindest eyes I've ever seen."

Jack turned her words over in his mind. It seemed as though she'd given this as much thought as Daniel had. Those weren't the words of a kid fawning all over a crush. Those were the words of a woman who knows what she wants. Still, he found it hard to swallow.

"I don't expect you to understand," she said, as if reading his thoughts. "But I don't want you to be angry either. We both made the choice to start this relationship, knowing it wouldn't be easy. Daniel needed to take it slow, and I understood that. We didn't jump right in. We took our time. And I believe what we've got will last. I'm not planning on walking away, no matter what."

Her words echoed Daniel's so perfectly that for a moment he thought they'd rehearsed them. But the sincerity in Cassie's expression and the joy in her eyes weren't practiced, just the true expression of a woman in love.

"I'm not saying I think I'll ever understand," Jack began, "but I'm not angry. Not anymore. I've seen enough over the last few days to know that you're both happy. It's just going to take me some time to come to terms with it is all."

"All we're asking is for you to give us a chance to show you that we belong together, Jack," Cassie told him, leaning forward.

"Okay, but I still reserve the right to beat the crap out of him if he hurts you," Jack felt he needed to say.

Cassie laughed. "Deal," she said, holding out her hand for Jack to shake.

He took her hand and gave it a shake before rising and hauling her to her feet to envelope her in a big hug. They stayed that way for a while, surrogate father and surrogate daughter sharing a moment that both of them knew wouldn't come again. Her words told him that she was moving away from the need for parents, into a life with a family of her own. He squeezed her once more before the moment overwhelmed him, and then let go.

"You'd better get back to work before your boss comes down here and finds you slacking off," Jack told her with mock severity.

"Yes, sir," she said, popping off a quick salute.

Jack turned to go, glancing back to see Cassie sit down behind her desk and begin to sort through the papers and folders. For the first time, he saw what everyone else must already see, including Daniel. He saw Second Lieutenant Cassandra Frasier, member of SG-9, a young woman making her own way in the world.

He felt the tears prick at his eyes, and took a deep breath to stave them off, quickly hurrying out of the room. It wouldn't do for a general to be seen crying in the hallway. But even as he made his way to the elevator and back to the briefing room, he realized these were not tears of sadness, but of joy. The little chick they had nursed from childhood had finally left the nest to stand proudly on her own. He wouldn't be sad about that for anything in the world.

~o~

Later that evening, Jack and Sam sat in his living room, drinking beer and watching a hockey game. Actually, Jack was watching the hockey game and Sam was reading one of the science journals she so rarely got to look at. There was a fire crackling in the hearth, which along with the flicker of the TV gave the room a romantic glow. At least it would have been romantic if the couple had been anyone other than Jack and Sam. Still, it was a quiet evening they were spending together, which suited them fine since they got this chance so rarely.

"So I ran into Daniel this morning," Jack mentioned casually as the game went to commercial.

"Oh?" Sam said, looking up from her journal.

"Yeah, he was after some coffee. We talked for a few minutes."

"And how did that go?" Sam asked. She hadn't heard anyone call for the Marines to break up a fight, so she figured it couldn't have gone badly. Then again, one never knew with Jack.

"He wants to marry her," Jack blurted out, rubbing his eyes with his hand. "He even showed me the ring."

"Was it nice?" Sam asked, her eyes lighting up.

"Hell yes it was nice. Daniel has good taste," he said impatiently. "But that's not the point."

"So what is the point?" she asked patiently.

"When did things get so serious between those two?"

Sam tilted her head in thought. "I think they've always been serious. From the way Cassie talked when she told me, she's been in love with him for a long time."

"Yeah, she told me," Jack said.

"When was this?" Sam asked, curious.

"Earlier today," he said, earning a suspicious look from Sam. "What? I wandered by the SG-9 Ready Room between meetings."

"Oh sure," Sam said, nodding her head, "I bet your feet just took you there."

"Yeahsureyoubetcha," Jack rejoined, earning a quick grin from Sam. "She and I talked for a few minutes," he said, turning serious again. "She's just as much in love with him as he is with her."

"And you're not angry about it anymore." It was a statement, not a question.

Jack sighed. "Not really," he huffed. "I guess I would have rather found out in a different way, and maybe not until their fiftieth wedding anniversary."

"But…"

"But I can see now how happy they are," he said. "And I know how that feels." He reached across the couch to take Sam's hand in his own, giving it a gentle squeeze. "And you'll be happy to know that I don't plan to kill him. I'll still beat the crap out of him if he ever hurts her, though," he hastened to add.

Sam's smile was brilliant. She crawled across the couch and snuggled up against him, squeezing him for all he was worth. "I'm proud of you, you know."

"For what?"

"For being such a good friend," she said, meeting his eyes. "They may not have asked for your approval, but it'll mean a lot that they have it."

Jack smiled in return, dropping a kiss on her upturned lips. "The sad thing is," he told her, "those were my most successful meetings of the day."

"Bummer," Sam said on a chuckle. "Are you going to tell them?"

"Yeah, but not on this trip," Jack said with an impish glint in his eyes. "I have to get back to Washington tomorrow."

"Don't remind me," Sam groaned.

"But I'll be back in a few of weeks for another round of meetings," Jack said, waggling his eyebrows. "I could be persuaded to talk to them then."

"Exactly how much persuading will you need?" she asked, crawling up to straddle his lap.

"At this point, a lot," Jack murmured as Sam leaned in closer and closer. Their lips met, and both Jack and Sam promptly forgot about anything else except each other. Daniel and Cassie, had they known, would have been proud.

...continued...


	17. Giving Thanks

~o~

Thanksgiving came to Colorado Springs under a blanket of snow. Amazingly enough, it also came with a lull in the war with the Ori. As promised, Jack returned to Cheyenne Mountain, putting off his trip just long enough so he could join his friends and family for the holiday.

SG-1 gathered at Jack's house, with Cassie and Carolyn joining their expanding group this year. Everyone pitched in, helping out with the turkey and all the trimmings. Vala, however, couldn't seem to grasp the meaning behind the day.

"I'm just saying that if you've worked hard, you've earned everything you have," she was saying as she helped set the table.

"One must be grateful for the opportunity to earn that which we have," Teal'c reminded her as he followed behind, placing silverware at each seat.

"Thanksgiving is for food and football," Jack pronounced as he entered the room with the turkey, carved onto a large tray.

Sam followed him in, smacking him upside the head as she passed him to put the stuffing on the table.

"Ouch," he exclaimed, rubbing at the back of his head. "What was that for?"

"It would seem you have more to be grateful for than food and football, O'Neill," Teal'c observed with a sly smile.

"Yeah," Jack said with a wink. Grabbing Sam, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her soundly. "Better?" he asked.

"Better," she confirmed, slipping out of his arms to return to the kitchen. "Round everyone up," she called out. "I think we're ready."

With very little urging, everyone moved into the dining room to gather around the table, the men helping their women with their chairs. Even Teal'c helped Vala with hers, prompting her to say thanks and earning a chuckle from the group.

Daniel, who had always been team spokesman, rose then and picked up his wine glass, everyone else following suit. "It's been a tough year," he began with the understatement of the year. "We've had some bad times and some close scrapes when we didn't know if we'd survive. But we've also had some good times, too, and we've welcomed new members to our family," he glanced down at Cassie by his side, and at Carolyn across from him. "I'd say, on balance, we've got a lot to be thankful for this year."

Raising his glass, he finished the toast. "To family."

The group raised their glasses in response, and all chimed in. "To family." Crystal tinkled in the air as each one clinked glasses with the rest.

When Daniel had taken his seat once more, Jack clapped his hands together and gave his one and only order for the day. "Dig in!"

Conversation bloomed to life as the dishes were passed and servings dished out. Exclamations came from all sides as different dishes were sampled. Dinner passed slowly, as conversation ebbed and flowed along with the clatter of silverware on dishes.

Finally, they pushed back from the table, fully sated. "That was an excellent meal, Colonel Carter," Teal'c said, bowing his head slightly.

"Thanks, Teal'c," Sam said, smiling wide. "But I had a lot of help."

Murmurs of thanks rippled around the table as various opinions of the dishes were aired. "And now for everyone's least favorite part," Sam said, rising and picking up her plate. "The dishes."

"I will assist you, Colonel Carter," Teal'c informed her, also rising and taking his plate with him.

"How about a walk? Work off some of this dinner?" Cam asked Carolyn, reaching out to squeeze her hand.

"Sounds good to me," she agreed. They rose and went for their jackets, slipping out into the cold night for a little time alone.

"Come on, Vala," Cassie said, rising herself and collecting some dishes. "Help me clear the table. It'll go faster with more help."

Vala rolled her eyes but did as she was asked. Daniel and Jack, who were by now the only ones left at the table, both chuckled as the women left the room. They got up and headed into the living room, where the television was tuned to the football game, the volume on low so it wouldn't interfere with dinner.

"So, how are things with you and Cassie?" Jack asked as he made himself comfortable on the sofa.

Daniel started slightly as he settled into a chair. He hadn't been expecting that question at all. "Things are good," he said, somewhat suspiciously. "We've been talking about going skiing if things stay quiet."

"I didn't know you ski, Daniel," Jack said, expressing some surprise.

"I don't," Daniel rejoined, frowning for emphasis. "But Cassie does, and she wants me to try it. So…"

"So you'll go once, just for her," Jack finished Daniel's thought. He well remembered doing things for Sarah simply because she asked. And with Sam, well, she hadn't asked yet, but he knew his answer would be the same.

"Yeah," Daniel confirmed. "I just hope I don't break something."

Jack chuckled, then turned serious. "I've been thinking about what you said," he began, "about wanting to marry Cassie." He fidgeted uncomfortably for a moment. He really hated conversations like these, but he knew it was something he needed to do. "Do you still want to? Marry her, I mean."

Daniel blinked, momentarily surprised by Jack's question. Quickly collecting himself, he answered his friend honestly. "Yes, I still do."

Jack nodded. He wasn't really surprised. What little time he'd spent with them had only served to confirm that they were as near to a perfect fit for each other as was possible. And he'd finally come to some conclusions that helped him accept what was happening.

"Why are you asking?" Daniel wanted to know.

"I've been thinking a lot lately," he began. At Daniel's smirk, he gave smirk of his own. "I do that, from time to time." When Daniel had schooled his expression with a muttered apology, Jack went on. "I think we can't always help who we fall in love with. And sometimes, what we most need in life is the one thing we don't expect to find. That's when we find love. Or more accurately, that's when love finds us."

"And the wonder of it all is that she loves you back," Daniel said quietly, expressing the thought both men were thinking in that moment.

Jack nodded. "Yeah." Taking a deep breath, he finished his thought. "So if you still want to marry her, you have my blessing. I know you'll take good care of her."

"Thank you, Jack," Daniel said sincerely. "It means a lot that we have your approval." He stood up then and extended his hand across the coffee table. Jack rose and took his hand, both men looking deep into the other's eyes, each one reading and sending a message that was heard loud and clear, shaking hands firmly to seal the deal.

Just then, Cassie called out from the hallway before bounding into the room. "Anyone want coffee?" she asked, completely oblivious to the scene that had just passed.

Jack sat back down as Daniel answered for the both of them. "Sure, we'll take some coffee."

Cassie moved to Daniel's side and slipped her arms around his waist. Standing up on tip toe, she touched her lips to his, kissing him thoroughly before retreating out of the room. Daniel stood still, dazed as usual when Cassie bestowed one of her toe-curling kisses on him.

"I remember that look," Jack said, slight amusement in his tone. "Been a long time since I've seen it."

Daniel gave a lopsided smile. "Yeah," he agreed. "I've got it bad."

Jack stood up again, chuckling at the evidence before him. Moving to Daniel's side, he clapped his friend on the back and said, "Come on, maybe they've got pie to go with that coffee."

He watched as Daniel moved towards the dining room. Maybe this was going to be fun to watch after all, he mused as he followed his friend out of the room.

...continued...


	18. The Best Is Yet To Come

~o~

On Christmas Eve, Daniel and Cassie sat on the floor under the tree wrapping presents. They had volunteered to host the family Christmas gathering, and were busily putting the finishing touches on their gifts. The tree, placed in the front window where it would share its light with the neighborhood, twinkled happily and the fire in the fireplace gave a warm glow to the room. Christmas music drifted out of the stereo to fill the air with the sounds of the season.

"Did you remember to get some extra juice for tomorrow?" Daniel asked as he taped down the wrapping paper on a small package.

"Yes, Daniel," Cassie said exasperatedly while wrestling with the bow on a larger box.

"Just making sure," he responded politely.

Cassie's frustration with him was understandable. He had been 'just making sure' for the last hour, checking with her repeatedly to make sure that they had everything they needed for the next day. In truth, he was making small talk because he was nervous. Tonight was the night he planned to ask Cassie to marry him, and the butterflies in his stomach had turned into Death Gliders over the last few hours.

Working as a team, they put the finishing touches on the packages under the tree. Daniel had wrapped each gift carefully, so it almost appeared as though a professional had done it. Cassie added her own free-spirited, whimsical touch with the bows. The effect under the tree was warm and festive.

With that task done, Daniel decided the time was right. Taping up the last box, he glanced sideways at Cassie as he handed it to her and posed a question in as nonchalant a voice as possible.

"So, do you want your present now or do you want to wait until tomorrow?"

Cassie nearly dropped the package as she lit up at the prospect of opening a gift early. She had never been one to be patient. Her mother had always insisted on waiting until Christmas day, though Cassie had always thought the suspense would kill her.

"You mean I have a choice?" she asked, glee making her giddy. Reaching for a length of ribbon, she quickly tied a bow and set the present with the others under the tree.

Daniel chuckled at her enthusiasm. "Yes, you have a choice. You can have one present tonight, or you can wait until tomorrow and open them all together."

Cassie appeared to contemplate the offer, though in truth, she wouldn't have said no for anything. Daniel, on the other hand, wasn't certain she would take the bait, and so sat nervously as she decided. He didn't really want to do this the next day in front of the whole family, but he would if he had to.

Reaching out to smack Daniel lightly on the arm, Cassie laughed. "Of course I want my present tonight, silly!"

Daniel let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding. "Okay, close your eyes." Cassie eyed him suspiciously for a moment before doing what he asked. "Now hold out your hands," he instructed her.

Cassie reached out with her hands, palms up, waiting. Daniel slipped a finger into the coin pocket of his jeans and pulled out the ring. He looked down at it as it sparkled in the firelight, and gave a small smile.

"Well, Daniel, I'm waiting," Cassie murmured in a low voice.

"Impatient," Daniel admonished her. Reaching out, he slipped the ring onto the proper finger, then pulled back and waited.

As soon as Cassie felt the ring on her finger, she stopped breathing. Opening her eyes, she turned her left hand over and gasped in shock. There, sitting on her finger, glinting in the low light, sat the most beautiful diamond ring she'd ever seen. Round cut and at least two carats in a simple setting, it fit her perfectly and was exactly what she would have chosen. She looked up from her hand to find Daniel smiling at her delight.

"I haven't loved you for very long, but I didn't need to to know that I'll love you as long as I live. Will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?"

Cassie's eyes filled with tears as the impact of his question hit her. She suddenly found herself unable to speak. Nodding her head vigorously, she reached out and kissed him soundly before pulling him into a hug that knocked them both over into a sprawl in front of the fireplace.

"Oh Daniel," she said, lying on top of him, finally finding her voice. "Of course I'll marry you."

Daniel, who had been fretting over how to ask her for days, blew out his breath in relief. Snaking his arms around her, he squeezed her tightly, kissing her forehead where it lay against him.

Cassie pulled back just enough to look into his eyes. "I love you."

She kissed him then, long and slow, reveling in the tingle that coursed through her with such a simple act. Pulling back finally, she rolled off him and sat up, admiring the ring as it glittered in the firelight.

"It really is beautiful, Daniel," she breathed, not taking her eyes off it. "Did you choose it yourself?"

"I did," he said, faint pride in his voice as he sat up beside her. "It seemed to be the only one that fit you."

Daniel scooted back and leaned up against the ottoman, pulling Cassie to sit between his legs so they could both admire the ring as it sat on her finger.

"Everyone's going to be so surprised," she said, snuggling into his embrace.

"I think exactly no one will be surprised," Daniel stated with certainty.

Cassie twisted to look at him. "Why do you say that?"

Daniel shrugged. "Because this is the happiest either of us has been, ever," he said. "And they all know it. They've seen it for themselves."

"True," Cassie allowed, settling back against him once more.

"Besides, Jack finally gave me his blessing, so you know he's already got the betting pool going strong."

"He did? Really?" Cassie exclaimed, surprised, as she twisted once more to look at Daniel.

"Yes, really," Daniel assured her. When she'd settled back again, Daniel made one last observation. "I guess it serves us right for even thinking about betting in the last pool."

Cassie's head tipped back in laughter. "It would be his revenge for the one on him and Sam," she observed, still chuckling.

"I do love you, Cassandra Frasier," Daniel said then, quietly, his breath tickling her ear.

Cassie turned around to straddle Daniel's lap. Taking his face in both her hands, she kissed him softly. "This has been the best year of my life," she told him sincerely, looking deep into his eyes, seeing for herself the love in his heart.

"You know what they say," Daniel replied, a soft smile playing at his lips. "The best is yet to come."

"And I'm looking forward to every minute of it," Cassie said. "I love you, Daniel Jackson," she added before leaning in to capture his lips once more.

Snow began to fall softly outside, blanketing the world in glistening white. Daniel and Cassie once more became lost in each other, each looking forward now more than ever to what the New Year would bring.

...continued...


	19. Epilogue

~o~

Cassie stood in the quiet alcove, looking out the window at the waning sunshine. Behind her, the sound of music and laughter drifted out from the banquet hall. A glint of light caught her attention, and she looked down, lifting her left hand to admire once again her engagement ring. She had been doing that a lot lately, only this time, nestled snug against it, was a matching band with diamonds circling all the way around. The effect they made was stunning, and she smiled just a little at the sight.

"Admiring my handiwork?" a rich voice from behind her woke her from her musings.

Warm hands and sure arms encircled her from behind, and Cassie leaned into Daniel's embrace.

"I like the way they glitter together," she commented, raising her hand once more. She held it out in front of her, letting Daniel see as well.

"They do look well on you, Mrs. Jackson," he said, squeezing her gently.

"Mmmm," she purred. "I like the way that sounds."

Daniel's chuckle tickled her ear slightly, and she giggled at the sensation. Resting her hands over his where he clasped her, she swayed with him to the music in the background.

Their wedding day had been nothing short of perfect. Spring had come to Colorado, and the flowers were in full bloom. Unfortunately, so were Daniel's allergies, so an indoor ceremony was a must. They married at the Academy Chapel, in a simple ceremony. Jack gave Cassie away, and then stood up with Teal'c and Cam, while Sam served as Maid of Honor. Cassie had looked stunning in her strapless, beaded gown, the veil giving the effect of a halo around her head. And Daniel, in his dark tuxedo, was the picture-perfect gentleman.

Cassie's veil was long gone, and Daniel had loosened his tie, but they still looked as happy as they had that morning. He could still remember what it felt like to see her walking down the aisle towards him. Her beauty had knocked the breath out of him. Hearing her say 'I do' had been the single happiest moment of his life. And when Cassie heard the minister introduce them as 'Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Jackson' for the first time, her startled smile was so huge it drew a round of laughter and applause from the crowd.

"You okay?" Daniel asked quietly a few minutes later.

Cassie nodded. "Just warm. I thought I'd come out here and cool off."

"Sam saw you leave," he commented. "She was a little concerned. You seemed teary during her toast."

"I do wish Mom was here," she said softly, remembering Sam's words about her mother, "but I know she's happy for me, wherever she is."

"You know," Daniel began, taking advantage of the quiet moment, "a year ago, if someone had told me that on this day I would be holding my wife in my arms, I would have called them crazy."

Cassie turned in his arms to face him. "And yet, here you are."

"Here I am," he echoed. "You were the one thing I never knew I always needed. And do you know what the wonder of it all is?"

""That I love you back?" she asked, a gleam in her eyes.

Daniel nodded. "That you love me back."

He leaned in and kissed her for all he was worth, putting all the love he felt into his kiss. When he pulled back, he looked long into her eyes, and saw the glow of her love looking back at him. His heart swelled to think that he finally had everything he'd ever wanted.

Running a finger under her bangs to push them aside, he smiled down at her. "Ready to go back inside, Mrs. Jackson?"

"You keep calling me 'Mrs. Jackson' and I'll do anything you want," she told him, waggling her eyebrows for effect.

"Later," he whispered with a wink.

Taking her hand in his, he led her back into the Academy Officer's Club banquet hall to rejoin their friends and family. The party was still in full swing, and he had a feeling that later would turn into much later, but he didn't mind. He'd waited this long to find the one woman he was meant to be with. He could wait a little longer.

Sweeping out onto the dance floor, they held each other close, dancing well into the night, surrounded by their family and friends. It was, they would reflect later, the perfect end to an incredible year, and the perfect beginning to the rest of their lives.

~Finis

* * *

><p>Author's Notes Post-Script:<br>This story was a labor of love for me. My sister asked me why there were no stories out there featuring Daniel and Cassie. I didn't have an answer for her, but I knew I could come up with one to fill the void, and so this story was born. It has been fun writing this one, since it gave me the opportunity to explore characters I don't usually write for. As you no doubt noticed, Jack and Sam are involved in this story. I took my cue from references made at the beginning of Season 9, suggesting they had finally taken the plunge, which made it even more fun to write. As always, I realize that not everyone sees things the way I do, but I hope that this story is as satisfying for you to read as it was for me to write.


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